Something Synthetic
by mpw09
Summary: She wasn't always this way. She could remember a time when there wasn't a lag time proceeding her reactions. However, looking back, her change might be for the better. At least now she was able to actually live.
1. Chapter 1

Salutations!...or something like that. Recently, I've really come to like RWBY fanfics, so I decided "Hey, I have fingers, and I'm physically capable of pressing down some keys, so why don't I go write one of my own?" So here we are.

This chapter's only about 2k words, but I hope the premise is interesting. I'm not trying to make this story too depressing, but I noticed after revision that this chapter does kinda have an edgy vibe to it. Oh well. It'll get better after a couple of chapters, I think.

Anyway, enjoy!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

* * *

 _10 years ago..._

Taiyang Xiao Long was facing a dilemma. One that came in the form of half-cyborg monster of a man.

The man before him had given him an ultimatum. He had come to Taiyang with a way to save his eldest daughter, something he'd been desperately searching for all throughout the last five years.

Yang, the daughter he'd made with his first wife and former teammate, Raven Branwen, would finally be free of the conflicting emotions that were slowly tearing her mind apart. He himself would also finally find relief from the same problem.

That problem was, namely, that they couldn't find a way to hate someone they loved. Both he and Yang loved her too much to actually hurt or abandon her, leading to day after day of literal agony for them both. There was nothing they could- no, there was nothing they were _willing_ to do to find relief.

Until James Ironwood had shown up in Patch, and later at the doorstep of his house.

"What do you think, Taiyang," he began, his tone oddly sympathetic despite him adopting his 'business persona', "Will you allow us to use your daughter, Ruby Rose, as our test subject?"

Normally, faced with an offer as absurd as that, his explosive temper would've acted up immediately and Ironwood would've been kicked out of the house before he could even finish speaking.

However, this time, the circumstances were different. He couldn't take any more. Yang couldn't keep doing this to herself.

On the surface, it appeared James was offering him a choice. Taiyang knew differently. James knew that he couldn't refuse even if he wanted to; his choice would end up destroying his family if he did.

Though, it would have an irreversible effect no matter how he responded.

There was a lesser evil here, of that he was sure. He just had to figure out what it was.

Should he accept the deal from the devil before him and risk cosigning his youngest to oblivion?

Alternatively, would it be better to continue indulging in this pointless altruism, risking the mental health of both Yang and himself?

He really needed to plant a foot up Qrow's ass for telling James about Ruby. If he'd never been presented with this choice, he could've wasted away with Yang in the painful bliss of protecting Ruby.

"Well, Taiyang? I'm waiting for your decision. If you refuse, I'll simply walk out of here and never-" he was cut off by a sudden interruption from the blond.

"Shut up for a second, James!" he yelled across the table. He clenched his hand and furrowed his brow, every instinct telling him to just shut the hardass up with his fists. Realizing that, though it would be _really_ satisfying, it wouldn't actually accomplish anything, he took a calming breath and forced his body to relax. "Let me think this over, please. It's not as simple as you're making this out to be. It's..." he trailed off, sorrow marring his features, "We're talking about my _five year old daughter,_ you know?"

Ironwood looked taken aback at his initial outburst, but his surprise was soon replaced with sympathy. "I apologize. Trust me when I say it was never my intention to pressure you into making a decision. I have no issue with waiting longer." He smiled reassuringly at Taiyang. "After all," he began, "I'm doing this as a favor for a friend. While it's true that I do profit if you agree, this is about something much more important. I also want what's best for the both of you. For Ruby as well. "

The blond man was stunned. Ironwood, _Ironwood_ was actually sincerely trying to help him.

"Say, James, seen any flying pigs lately? "

He received a raised eyebrow in response. "Taiyang, are you okay? Did I lay this on you too quickly?"

"How about some kinda robots? Seen any of those taking over and mimicking humanity yet?"

"About that..." Taiyang cut him off again.

"Never mind. I guess I'm just having having a hard time believing that you're genuinely trying to help us."

His eyebrow raised once again. "Is it so hard to accept? The general public knows of me as an affable character."

"And the rest of us have been exposed to you enough to know that that's a load of crap," Taiyang retorted. They both fell into silence once more.

The gears in the blond's head were whirring into overdrive, desperately searching for the best answer.

' _James said it would be what's best for Ruby as well... Would it really be for the better?'_

It was true that if he decided to go through with this then Ruby would lead an easier life. She would no longer be discriminated against for elements out of her control. She could go outside, meet friends at school, and, though she would have a much harder time, she would have the chance of actualizing her dream of becoming a great huntress.

He and Yang would finally be able to move on with their lives.

Ruby could actually have a chance to become normal.

Taiyang gathered his resolve and revealed his choice to the other man.

* * *

It was a beautiful summer day, she should think. It was hot, but not hot enough to make her sweat, so she should be grateful, she thought. The breeze carried the pleasant smells of nature into her nose, creating a relaxing environment, she should think.

Uncle Qrow just said 'Hi' to her so she should give a cheerful response, she thought.

"Hi, Uncle Qrow! I'm fine! It's a nice day! I think I should be a happy girl since you came 'n all!" she put on her widest, happiest grin and beamed up at her uncle.

He faltered for a second, something flashing across his face, but Ruby didn't really understand so she didn't ask about it because why ask about something she might not understand anyway and she was supposed to be cheerful right now and she would probably have rethink her attitude if she asked 'cause it would probably be something bad and it'd look weird if she was happy when talking about bad things.

Qrow was looking at her like she was weird, and she guessed she kinda was, but she didn't really wanna let anyone know 'cause the army guy told her to keep it a secret. Though...

' _I think I should feel bad for not telling the truth to Uncle Qrow but the army guy looked really serious when he told me not to say anything and I think I should listen 'cause that's what I would do.'_

"Hey, Ruby?" her uncle's voice brought her back out of her thoughts. She turned back to face him, making sure she was still wearing a smile. "Not that I want to get rid of you or anything, but can you take me to your dad? I've got a few things to ask him about." Ruby went stock still for a moment, then proceeded to nod her head vigorously, grabbing his hand and leading him upstairs.

"I think Dad is in Yang's room right now. I dunno why but Yang's kinda holed up in there a bunch ever since I came back. Dad stays in there with her sometimes," Ruby said, the smile never faltering. Qrow's features settled somewhere in between anger and pity.

"Alright Rubes, I'm gonna go talk to Tai for a bit. Why don't you go and play outside?" Ruby gave an affirmative nod and skipped back down the stairs, leaving Qrow to his own devices. He grabbed the handle to the door with the "Yang" nameplate and swung it open.

The sight inside caused his heart to constrict in his chest. On the bed was a seven year old Yang, eyes red and puffy. The smell permeating the air led him to conclude that she hadn't actually had a bath in a long time. Her beautiful golden mane, which she typically obsessed over, laid limp and greasy on her back. On the bed, right beside her, sat his former teammate, looking no better than his daughter.

"Hey, Tai. It's been awhile. About ten years, right?" Two pairs of confused eyes stared back at him.

"Qrow, you were here about two months ago."

"Really?" he folded his arms across his chest and stared at Taiyang. "Because you look like you've aged more than that since I last saw you." he stated.

"You know," he continued, "I ran into Ruby downstairs," he commented, not missing the way the blond kept trying to avert his gaze. "Tell me, Tai: _What the hell did you do to my niece?"_

Taiyang flinched at the barely concealed wrath in his words. "I..." he looked down to find Yang staring back up at him. If he was going to have to explain, he really didn't want her to hear what he did. He didn't want her to learn of his mistakes. She didn't need to know how he had permanently injured her sister. His heart would break if his daughter started to hate him for what he did.

"Yang, please leave the room. I have a couple things to talk to Uncle Qrow about in private." his daughter opened her mouth to respond, but another voice stopped her before she could.

"Come on, Yang. I need Tai to explain a few things to me. It won't take too long, and I'll play with you and Ruby after I'm done here." She didn't look too happy at the idea of spending time with Ruby, Qrow noted, but she gave a hesitant nod and left the room.

When he heard the soft click of the door, he gestured for his friend to speak. "Well, Tai? Explain. Explain why the hell Ruby is acting like- like that!"

With a sigh, he obliged. "Qrow, do you remember telling James about Ruby's aura condition?"

Qrow looked thoughtful, his eyebrows drawing together as he tried to recall what the blond was talking about. "I think I was pretty drunk at the time, but I remember running into Jimmy right outside of a bar in Atlas. Though, what does that have to do anything?" his eyes took on a dangerous glint. "Is Jimmy somehow related to this?"

Taiyang nodded. "He came here with an offer for me. For Ruby." Qrow's expression turned grim. "He said he could do it. That he could suppress her aura. He hadn't tested it before, due to laws and regulations, but he showed me that he had a way to make Ruby normal again."

"And he sure did a great job of _that_."

"He told me that he genuinely wanted to help me, to help us, and I believed him. I still do; he apologized profusely after he finished the procedure."

"Tai," he began slowly, "What went wrong? What happened to Ruby?"

He seemed to age even more, appearing much to weary for his age, as he spoke his next words.

"I really messed up this time. I knew there was a risk, but I messed up badly, Qrow. I got what I wanted. We were able to get rid of the effect of her semblance. When she opened her eyes, however, we realized just how badly we'd screwed up. She'd never be the same again."

"Qrow, I think that, in the process of suppressing her Semblance, we might've destroyed her soul altogether."


	2. Chapter two

I got this chapter out pretty quickly. Think it took me about two hours to write it. Then again, it is pretty short. I was going to continue it for a bit longer, but I reached a good stopping point.

Hope you enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own RWBY.**

"You want to do _what_!?" Taiyang bellowed at Qrow. He couldn't believe his ears.

Lately, it seemed like it was one absurd thing after another. First, his daughter lost an integral part of herself because of his own decision. Then, he walked in on Yang wailing about how she had failed while slamming her fists into her own face. Finally, there was this.

Qrow was unfazed by Taiyang's outburst. "Like I said, I need you to hand Ruby over to me. There's no way you can deal with her and Yang as things are now, Tai."

The blond bristled at his accusation. "What are you talking about!? I can raise them both just fine!" Qrow wasn't making a lick of sense. He'd gone through much harder times before. What made this any different? He'd power through like he always had.

"That's not what I'm concerned about," he explained. Taiyang's explosive temper seemed to settle down somewhat, so he continued. "I know that you'd do a fine job of raising them both, but that's irrelevant right now. Tai, I want you to give me Ruby so that I can mold her into a Huntress who's at least half as capable as we are."

Taiyang's features scrunched in confusion. He still wasn't clear on why, exactly, Qrow would offer to take her under his wing. "I still don't get it. I had planned to start her on the preliminary exercises that I've already given to Yang. Why can't I-" Qrow cut him off, his face hard.

"Tai, do you think that, even for a moment, Ruby would survive facing a single Grimm if she used your combat style?" The other man's eyes widened in dawning realization. "She's not like you. Not even like Yang. You're both Aura monsters. Ruby? She's got none of it." he finished, speaking softer than before.

Qrow knew what he was asking of his friend was unfair. Tai had lived in five years of constant agony all for the purpose of protecting Ruby, and now his best friend is coming to take her away from him anyway, despite all of his efforts.

However, it needed to be done. She'd never survive otherwise.

"One lucky swipe from a Beowolf," the father spoke slowly, "And she's dead. Just... just like that, huh?"

"Exactly. You know you can't teach her properly." It was a harsh truth, but one that had to be said.

"Why are we even allowing this, Qrow? Why can't we just forbid her from going out there and fighting?" His eyes closed forcefully in frustration. Why couldn't he just protect his daughter forever? He'd make sure she was happy, that everything was provided to her. She didn't need to do this. She didn't need to go risking her frail body fighting monsters.

"Are you really going to take away the one thing that Ruby still seems to genuinely care about?" he concluded his argument.

And there it was. The reason why he had never told his youngest daughter to give up on her dream. Even now, soulless and all, Ruby wanted to be a Huntress like Summer. Whenever she spoke of her dream, they could all see a glimpse of the former Ruby. It was almost as if she had never lost her soul.

Even Yang, after seeing the shine in those silver orbs, seemed to light up in cheer once again. She had stopped avoiding Ruby once she began to think that there was some remnant of her formerly lively sister left behind.

Taiyang knew there were ways to logically refute Qrow's words. He should say that it was still too dangerous for her. He should say that it was impossible for someone without Aura to become a Huntress.

He couldn't say any of it.

"Fine, Qrow," he sighed, settling into that same weary mindset that seemed all too familiar lately, "You can take her with you. I'll admit that I don't have the heart to tell her to give it up, and she needs all the help she can get. However," he leveled a glare at the bad luck charm, "Make sure that Semblance of yours doesn't lead to her getting hurt, alright?"

He gave Taiyang a grin. "I once lived in a dorm with you for four years, and you were an idiot. You're still fine. She will be too."

He returned the smirk. "I'll just be waiting for the moment when Ruby starts to make the same threats as Raven." Qrow visably paled at that. Ravens threats were way too graphic for his tastes. Though, they probably would've been funny if he weren't always the one on the receiving end.

The thought of Ruby threatening to cut off his tongue and stick it up his rear end because he "seems to always be talking out of his ass" wasn't a very pleasant one. He'd never admit it, but he shuddered a bit at the image.

"Y-yeah, I'll make sure that doesn't happen. Besides, Ruby's a good kid. Nothing like my sister." The blond snorted.

"Of course she is. I raised her, after all, and I expect you to make sure she says that way." he demanded, fatherly instincts taking over.

"No need to get overprotective over her, Tai. I'll make sure she's fine."

"Good. I'll hold you to that."

Silence fell between the two once more, and Qrow took the moment to admire the scene outside. Yang was happily tackling her sister to the grass, playing some game mimicking a Huntress and an Ursa. Ruby let out realistic sounding squeals of delight as the big bad Ursa tickled her sides.

It was a nice contrast between the last time he came here, around a month ago. Back then Yang had the belief that, after Ruby came back from getting her Semblance sealed, she wasn't Ruby anymore.

In a way, she was right. There were some things that remained, her dream for one, but nothing else about Ruby Rose could be considered genuine. Everything she did was calculated based on past actions and logical reasoning. While most people would see a young girl happily playing with her sister, Qrow could see beneath that. He knew that she was just 'acting as Ruby Rose would have in the past'.

He hoped that, someday, he might be able to change that.

Is it possible for a soul to reform?

He had no idea, but he could hope. There was some tiny bit of the old Ruby there, and he was going to try to stoke that ember into a blazing flame. If he couldn't... he didn't even want to consider it.

What would happen to a human with no soul? Would Ruby become a creature of Grimm? Would she just stop functioning one day? Or...

Would the world have to deal with a new Salem?

He really needed a drink.

"Hey, Qrow?" he was shaken out of his thoughts. He shifted his gaze back to Taiyang and noticed that the other man had been watching the same scene as him. "What am I going to tell Yang? She finally learned to accept Ruby, and now this?" he shook his head and sighed in defeat.

Qrow looked back at sisters. That was a good question. It would probably have a huge negative impact on Yang, if the stories Tai told him were the truth. "I don't know, Tai, but you're going to have to tell he-"

He stopped. Something was wrong.

They were still playing around, having the time of their life. Nobody was hurt. Everything was the same. Except for two details.

"Hey, Tai?" he began, slowly, hesitantly.

"Yeah, what is it?" his friend raised a questioning eyebrow.

"How many people besides you two know about Ruby's existence. Does Ozpin know?"

Taiyang only seemed to grow more confused, but still responded to Qrow's inquiry. "Nah, I never got in contact with him. Hell, I think that, beside you, Yang, Ironwood and I, and maybe Raven, no one even knows she exists."

Qrow nodded his head slowly. "Good, then there will be no questions asked about the disappearance of Ruby Rose, and the sudden appearance of Ruby Branwen, right?" Tai furrowed his brow. Was Qrow drunk again or something?

"What are you say-" Qrow began to speak. His words would haunt Taiyang for a long long time.

"Because I think it would be odd for the daughter of a blue-eyed man and a silver-eyed woman to be born with those eyes."

Outside the window, crimson eyes stared back at him with fabricated cheer.


	3. Chapter 3

Well, here's another chapter. Two in one day? These really are short. Oh well.

Lemme reply to some questions and other things you guys left for me.

97: When I said that thing about opening her eyes, I was referring to her waking up as something different. It was just a way to say that she was awakening. Her eyes at the time held no significance beyond, well, being silver, I guess.

Jiggly Joe: Great name. Seriously. As for the chapters, yeah, I agree. I'm just kinda posting them once I reach a point at which I can end the chapter neatly and I don't feel like writing anymore.

Bomberguy789: Yeah, I guess my intentions could be misconstrued there. Honestly, the only ones who I thought would've been offended by that statement the way I intended it are the Grimm. And you're absolutely right. Just because Ruby can't feel much doesn't mean she's going on a trigger-happy killing spree.

Genesic Savior: I promise I'll answer the question about her original condition!...In about 100k words from now. I'm probably kidding, I think.

To everyone else who expressed interest in this story: Thank you! I really do appreciate it.

PS: It's hard to write a serious fighting scene between a 10 year-old girl and a veteran Huntsman.

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own RWBY. Whoever's giving me credit, stop it.**

 _Five years ago..._

"Alright, Kid. Do it just as we practiced. I'm not gonna stand here and wait for you forever."

Ruby gulped, nodding her head hesitantly and tightening her grip on her borrowed weapon. She kept her gaze trained on her adoptive dad, who was standing across from her, nonchalantly waving about a stick that was about as large as her own sword.

Despite being riddled with cuts and bruises, fatigue was absent from her mind. Her eyes rapidly scanned over her opponent's body, desperately looking for an opening she could take advantage of.

"Cut that out. That's not going to-" he idly picked up a stone and threw it at the pigeon circling his daughter's head "-help you in a fight." he commanded.

There was a slight pause before her response came. "Huh? Cut what out? I thought 'as we practiced' involved searching for openings?" she continued to dart her eyes around.

"No, not that. What I want you to stop doing is that whole desperation thing you're trying to pull off."

Ruby widened her eyes by a fraction. "That too. You're supposed to be in a fight for your life right now. You don't have time to act like someone you're not. It's just going to slow you down. Save that stuff for when you're not facing an enemy."

Ruby arranged her features to express confusion. "But this is how I am. It's natural. There's nothing I can do about it." Qrow shot her a disbelieving look.

"Yeah, and you're actually my daughter, conceived between my sister and I." Ruby made a gagging sound at his poor joke.

"That's nasty, Dad!" Ruby made an exaggerated show of being disgusted. He rolled his eyes and adopted his professional attitude once again.

"My point is, that's a load of crap. We both know it. And It's exactly because it's _not_ natural that I even have to make an issue of it."

"But..." Qrow continued staring, waiting patiently for her to finish. "Before we left, Dad- not 'you' Dad, but 'Daddy' Dad- instructed me to always remember to arrange my features and act appropriately at all times, so people didn't think I was weird." she pointed her eyes at the ground, looking guilty.

Qrow sighed at the sight. Everything she did...it all looked so 'real'. He had been fighting her for over an hour already and it took him until just then to point out what she was doing wrong. He mentally berated himself. She was likely, no, definitely, acting this way because it was the first spar in which he was actually coming at her with the intent to cause her harm. Every blow he landed, were it with his real weapon, would've been fatal to the girl, and Ruby knew that.

She had picked up the ability to sense negative emotions, after all.

Faced with something new for the first time, she fell back on her habit of trying to act like Ruby Rose.

Qrow signaled for a time out. Ruby relaxed her muscles and thrust the sword into the ground. He walked to her side and comfortingly placed his left hand on her back. Ruby looked up at him with sorrowful eyes, begging him to say something.

"Ruby, I'm not saying that you have to-" he grabbed the hilt of his weapon and removed it from the ground, then pointed it behind them. The clockwork mechanism in his blade whirred to life, shifting the grip into a position perpendicular to the blade. He pulled the trigger and an unfortunate Beowolf met with a spread shot through it's skull. "-stop acting or anything."

Confusion appeared once more. "But you said-"

"I said that you shouldn't waste time searching for and forcing a reaction in battle. That kind of stuff can make the difference between life and death for a Huntsman."

Understanding seemed to settle in her eyes. "So, then, it's fine for me to forget about acting 'natural' when I'm up against an opponent?" she questioned.

Another sigh. "That's what I've been saying from the start, Kid. You really need to work on your hearing," he teased.

"Hey, take that back! I take pride in my impa- impi-..." her father snorted mockingly.

"Impeccable?" he suggested.

"Yeah, my implacable hearing!" she puffed her cheeks out in indignation. He moved his hand to let it rest on her head, messing up her hair.

"Right. Don't grow up too fast, Rubes."

"Ahaha." she laughed. At the sound she made, Qrow brought a hand to his mouth and looked away, desperately trying to control his own laughter from spilling out. Of course, he failed.

Ruby pouted as her father spent a good half of a minute guffawing at her failed attempt at a laugh. She knew it was a little weird, but it wasn't _that_ bad...right?

"Ha...sorry, Ruby. That always gets me. Though, forget fighting, I think we need to work on your poor excuse for laughter more than anything else," he grinned. He also extended the barrel of his shotgun and exterminated an Ursa that wandered a bit too close for his liking. "Let's get back to it then. Here." he switched his weapon back into its blade form and handed the hilt to Ruby. "Remember what I told you; give your enemy your undivided attention."

"Didn't you just kill an Ursa while having fits of laughter?"

"Yeah, what about it?" he gave her a cocky grin, knowing exactly what she was attempting to refer to.

"...Never mind."

She calmly focused on her enemy. Her eyes dragged across his posture, taking in any openings in his stance. He stood with his weight distributed evenly, sans the stick that unbalanced the right side of his body, even if only a little. Obviously, he was uncomfortable with wielding something so light compared to the sword/shotgun/scythe hybrid that she had in her hands.

On the other hand, she was used to the weapon in her hands, though it really was a bit too heavy for her to swing about freely. She had undergone strength training with her father since she was seven, but there's only so much muscle a little girl could build in three years.

As she was now, she had no choice but to end it quickly. She was already fatigued from the past hour of training, her muscles screaming in protest of simply holding the sword above the ground.

She needed a plan. Logically, her brain told at her, there was no way she could defeat Qrow. However, she didn't need to actually reduce his Aura to 15% to win. This wasn't a tournament, but a spar.

One hit. If she could score one hit, she would consider it a success. Against a Huntsman of her father's caliber, it was almost impossible.

Qrow's eyes narrowed when he saw his adoptive daughter's red eyes shine brightly, leaving behind a red glow whenever they moved. The muscles in his legs tensed, he stepped forward with his right foot, and pushed off.

Ruby, if she was still bothering with the whole acting thing, would've been surprised. She had seen him move that fast only once before, when she and Yang had went to look Yang's mother, only to be attacked by a pack of Grimm.

Though, right now, she couldn't afford any distraction. She took a breath and observed. She didn't bother looking everywhere. She didn't have to. Her eyes skipped over his legs, payed no heed to the large stick in his right hand, and instead focused on his empty left.

The common people, faunus, and Huntsmen/Huntresses shared one misconception concerning Grimm. They all knew that the Grimm had some sort of ability to sense negative emotions, and that the creatures were drawn to them. That much was true. A rare smile found it's way onto her face without her knowing. She bathed in the murderous intent emitted by her father.

What they didn't know, however, was that the Grimm could actually _see_ them. It wasn't some abstract sixth sense, but rather one linked to their sight, like some sort of synesthesia. Hence, she didn't bother trying to figure out how Qrow would strike her. She saw the rope of black smoke connecting his left fist to her solar plexus. That's where his intent to harm was focused.

Ruby baited the old crow, purposely leaving her abdomen unguarded, and waited for the moment after he feinted to act.

After forcing her to block an overhead strike from his weapon, Ruby made her move. In the blink of an eye, Qrow's fist was nearing her plexus, ready to deliver a strike that would definitely send her to the hospital.

Ruby was waiting for that moment. She let go of her sword, which was still holding back his weapon, and with a speed that proved to be about half as fast as her father's, she swiveled to the left. With his weapon no longer meeting resistance, he stumbled forward.

While he was off balance, she clenched her right fist and sent a blow to his stomach. It wouldn't do much, considering her build didn't allow much in the way of strength yet, but it was still one hit, like she promised herself.

Her fist was only an inch away from his body when she saw that cocky grin.

Faster than she could perceive, he pulled the same move she had used earlier, pivoting to the side. Like he had done earlier, she stumbled forward from putting all of her weight into her punch.

For a moment, right after he moved, Ruby saw that the rope had changed locations. Make no mistake, it was still attached to her solar plexus. However, the end that should've been attached to Qrow's left hand had moved down to his right knee. The knee that was currently folding her body in half.

Her body fell limply to ground as she spat up globs of spit and blood.

She heard the perpetrator crouch down next to her. "See, Ruby? This is why we need to improve your speed and reaction time. And that's not even mentioning that pitiful strength of yours. Though," he wore a proud smile on his face. "That attack? You probably would've gotten most trainees at Beacon with something like that." Ruby, once her coughing settled down, looked up at the older man. "Pretty good for a kid who's seven years younger than the youngest of them all. One who doesn't even have Aura, at that."

She didn't manage to get even a single hit in. She didn't accomplish what she was trying to do. However...

 _'Ruby...'_ she thought, _'This would make me happier than anything else, I think.'_

And so she sent her biggest smile back up at her adoptive father. "I think that I did my best today!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, kiddo, I think you did, too." he replaced his proud expression with a teasing smile. "That is, for someone who wasn't even able to get in a single hit." Ruby figured she should probably be mad at that, so she made her face fall. "For someone normally so smart, you really showed me how dumb you can be sometimes. Did you really think I wouldn't try to hide my intent from you? After you yourself told me you could visually see where I was going to strike?"

Ruby knew she should be kinda embarrassed at that, but it was really hard to force a blush, so she settled for an embarrassed laugh. "Ahaha."

Qrow burst into laughter once more.


	4. A Short Story of Love, Hate, and Pity

"I, Yang Xiao Long, have a complicated relationship with my younger sister. Or, should I say I _had_ one?

Either way, it's something pretty screwed up.

I Loved my sister. I spent every waking moment worried about her well-being, despite only being two years older than her. I guess you could say she was a _gem._ My gem. Her name's Ruby, by the way. Heh, I guess you couldn't really appreciate the pun without knowing her name first. My bad.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah, my helicopter sistering. I was by her side at all times. Where she went, I went. I had my own room, it was pretty neat, even had a little sign with "Yang" written on it, but I never used it. All it took was one time. Ruby asked me to sleep in her bed with her because she had a nightmare. I didn't touch my doorknob after that.

We were happy, you know? Us two. Or, three, I guess, cause Dad was pretty much the same as me. He always loved Ruby more than he loved me. I couldn't blame him, though; I still can't. After all, I was the same. Ruby was some sort of god to me. I wonder if Dad did better 'cause he was older?

Eh, I guess it doesn't matter now. So, have you had enough of me singing the praises of my sister? No? Well, that's perfect! I can go on and on forever.

I think I was five when I came to that realization. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else but Ruby. Well, and my hair, but that's different.

Hey, stop laughing! You know how well I take care of it. Touch it, and burn.

Anyway, Ruby. Divine, perfect, little Ruby. The paragon of everything. Though now I guess you could say she's _paragone._

What, nothing? Really?

Fine, fine, I'll shut up and start talking.

I'd do anything for her. Then, and probably now, too. All it would take is one word from her cute little mouth.

Yang, I'm cold. Well, Ruby, look at me! I'll gladly cuddle next to you to keep you warm!

Yang, I'm hungry. Well, Ruby, I was saving up for a game system, but I'll gladly use this money to take you out for a fancy dinner!

Yang, I miss Mommy. Well, Ruby, why don't I become your new mommy? I'm only six years old, but I'd gladly give up my life to play that role in yours!

Yang, I'm scared. Well, Ruby, don't you worry! I'll make sure I keep my eyes on you at all times! I'll gladly give up sleep for eternity if you can rest safe and sound!

Yang, I'm lonely. Well, Ruby, I heard about something interesting earlier? Did you know there are people with multiple personalities? Just say the word and I'll gladly split myself apart until your loneliness fades!

I'd do anything for Ruby.

Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm alright now, so you don't have to worry.

I no longer have to provide comfort for her.

I no longer have to use my earnings for her.

I no longer have to play a role for her.

I no longer have to stay awake for her.

I no longer have to split myself for her.

... Is this what my hugs always felt like for Ruby? It's nice. Thank you.

Anyway, yeah, I was pretty messed up. I was nothing. Ruby was god.

You know what's kinda funny? I doubt Ruby even remembers what she did to me. Or, if she does, she certainly doesn't care. She can't.

Oh, she can certainly _act_ like she does, but she doesn't. Not really.

Hm? What do I mean? Well, lemme get to the next part of my story. The next little bit of why I came here.

One day, Ruby became different. I don't know why, but I know ol' Jimmy had something to do with it. I think he might've found a way to destroy her very _soul_.

I know, shocking, right?

I don't hate Ruby. I loathe Ironwood.

If it weren't for him, I could've wasted away in that painful bliss. That unending altruism. I would have gladly ripped myself to shreds for Ruby.

But that never came to be. He had to go and try to _fix_ my sister. As if there was something wrong with her. She embodied perfection.

When Ruby came home, she was different.

That wasn't her. That wasn't her! That was no longer the highest of angels; that was Satan himself! Gone were the symbolic wings of grace and impurity. Stained black, ripped off her back! Little Ruby had fallen from Grace!

Ah, you don't get what I'm referring to? That's alright, it's a pretty old story. For some reason I'm feeling really poetic right now.

I Hated my sister. I couldn't accept it. There's no way I could've accepted it.

I holed myself up in my room for what seemed like an eternity.

I failed! I had one job and I failed!

Ruby, why didn't you say it? I was waiting for it.

Yang, help me. Well, Ruby, I'll gladly save you from anything!

That's all I wanted to say.

Cold, Hunger, Abondonment, Fear, Loneliness. I protected you from everything. I did everything you ever asked of me.

So why didn't you let me protect you when it mattered most?

Dad came in to comfort me. I hated him. I didn't know why, but I knew he was responsible. I kicked him out. We repeated that cycle for a few days.

Then, my uncle came. He was angry, too. I didn't get to stay to hear what they talked about, but I secretly hoped that Qrow might live up to the legacy of his weapon.

Before I left the room, he told me to go play outside with Ruby. To be honest, I hated the idea. I hated that he called that thing 'Ruby'. Contrary to popular belief, the two aren't really synonymous.

I think I treated her really badly. It's hazy, I think I've suppressed it out of guilt, but I remember her standing there, just smiling the whole time, as I yelled and screamed at her for killing Ruby.

I calmed down eventually. I might have the Xiao Long temper, but even my flames don't burn for eternity. Not unless Ruby wishes for them to.

Somehow, we got to talking about Mom.

Huh? No, not my mom. Not Raven. I'm talking about the woman who gave us Ruby. Her name was Summer Rose, professional Supermom. Also had a side job as a badass Huntress.

Eventually, that thing began to talk about her dream. And it wasn't a thing anymore.

That was Ruby. My angel.

I felt the feelings of worship return to me once more, my mind and body ready to adhere to any command she would give! This was it! This was the day I was waiting for! My little sister had returned!

Now, little gem, what will you ask me to do for you?

... Ruby?

Nothing. She asked nothing. She faded away, that thing taking her place once more.

My spirits broke. Never before had I felt it. So strongly, overwhelmingly. The only feeling my broken heart could feel was...

Pity.

I Pitied my sister. How horrible must it be, I wondered, to be trapped within something else? To have some _thing_ come and claim your life as its own?

Hm? Yeah, I was pretty far ahead of the curve for a seven year-old. Ruby once asked me to help her with her homework, after all. Ruby once asked me to read faster, after all.

Ruby once asked me for a lot of things.

Why wouldn't she? I was everyone to her.

But, let's get back into my story.

... Or, actually, let's not. I'm pretty much at the end anyway.

Hm? I never told you what her Semblance was? Really? I thought it obvious.

I would do anything she asks me to.

I will go beyond human limits for her.

I view her as an existence above humanity.

See, you get it now, right? Really frightening, right? Well, you wouldn't think so if you had actually been subjected to it for a while.

Because Ruby is perfect.

Because her Semblance is... "

End.

So, yeah. Here's a happy little Yang interlude. Yeah...um...sorry, Yang.

JigglyJoe: You wanted to see the impact she has on others? Well, here you go!

Funny thing is, I wrote this in sort of a stream of consciousness style. I mean, I had an idea of what Yang had been through since I started this story, but it was never supposed to be quite like this. Hell, it wasn't even supposed to be written in the first person! I just wrote down the words as they came to mind, disregarding sentence structure and punctuation. When I finished going back and adding punctuation, I had to ask myself a question:

What the hell does that say about me?

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. It feels crude and unpolished, yet I think it's my best one yet.

This thing was also written at midnight. For some reason, I always write better at nighttime. Maybe it's the atmosphere?

By the way, I wrote this chapter on the same day as the other two, but I think I'll wait until around 4:00 EST before posting it. Not that it matters to any of you. I'm just tired.

PS: Can any of you guess her Semblance? I think it's pretty obvious, though I made sure to leave the details obscure.

Please review!

Here's a little extra I cut off from the end. It's still canon.

The sound of the steel door of the wearhouse opening echoed throughout the room. Through it came an orange haired man dressed in a pristine white suit. If one didn't know him, they would've assumed he had some sort of high rolling career.

Of course, there was almost no one who was unaware of his identity. His name and face were everywhere: he had posters, billboards, hell, he was all over the news!

For a thief, notoriety was never a good thing. It meant that others would gain some insight into how you work. They could plan and prepare. He himself had found that out the hard way, being locked in the slammer for longer than he would have liked.

Indeed, having a bounty would be seen as a sign of failure by others in his profession.

Which is why he would never admit to the glee he felt when every dust shop owner thought him to be their boogeyman.

"Alrighty, kiddos," he let his black cane rest against a wall and clapped his hands to get their attention, as if the doors weren't loud enough for him, "I'm about to set off on another heist. We're hitting, surprise, surprise, another Dust shop tonight," he drawled lazily. "You two are going to wait on the airship with our oh so lovely boss while I go in there and actually do some work. Everyone happy with their jobs?" He looked between the two occupants, gaging their reactions. "Good for you, 'cause I'm not." he let out an exaggerated sigh and gestured for the two to follow.

"So, Torchie, where're we headed this time?" the blond asked in an overly familiar tone.

He shot her a glare at her use of that abhorrent nickname, but answered nevertheless.

"It's a real easy mark. Called 'From Dust 'Till Dawn'. Cute little name." he commented, shooting a glance at one person in particular.

"Yeah, someone's got style," she teased, wearing an impish grin. Torchwick just shook his head and walked further ahead.

He had a long night ahead of him.


	5. All for One and One for All

_?_

Qrow, it seems, believes that I don't know. I suspect he heard as much from Taiyang.

It's true; Taiyang told me of only one child, young Xiao Long, the progeny given life through the union of himself and Raven Branwen. It was a joyous occasion. Taiyang, in a manner dissimilar to his current character, had brought the news to all of Remnant. He had a wife that, while seeming cold and aloof to most, loved him dearly, and now he was receiving the gift of his life from her. I suspect it to have been the most joyous moment of his life.

However, were I to tell the story of his life, I certainly would not call that one the defining moment. There was another woman, and another child.

This child, though, would prove be destructive for the rest of them.

Taiyang believes I have no knowledge of the cause of his deterioration of mind.

I first noticed his predicament the morning he requested an extended leave of absence from his teaching position at Signal Academy. Contrary to his belief, I have eyes _everywhere_. The moment the request was approved by the headmaster, I had his movements under observation.

What they found, however, was something that even I had never expected. Something truly frightful.

I observed the older sister, Yang, as she was set upon a never ending path of madness. I observed her as she fulfilled her sister's every demand. I observed her as she surpassed reasonable human limits. I observed her as she lost her self-identity, becoming nothing more than a faithful servant for her ignorant sister.

I observed, with tears in my eyes, as colors blossomed forth, like a flower bud blooming.

It started with yellow. I was surprised when the girl unlocked her potential at such a young age, as the earliest I had heard of one discovering their semblance had been at eight years of age, but didn't think much more of it, a mistake beget by ignorance.

Ruby Rose commanded.

"Yang, I'm lonely."

Yang Xiao Long twisted.

Red. Blue. Green. To this day, it horrifies me.

The little Rose meant no harm, I am sure. It was little more than a curious child exercising a new limb. However, her elder sister suffered the consequences. The most disturbing part of all? Young Xiao Long _desired_ to have these awful things done to her.

I stepped in the moment I understood what Miss Rose was attempting, but I was much too late. Yang Xiao Long had her very core perverted, shattered into four separate pieces. For a moment, I could barely recognize her. She looked the same as always, yet somehow, she was _different._

In my heart, I grieved for her father. What would he think when he next saw his daughter?

Proceeding that incident, I took precautions to ensure that something so horrible would never happen again. I contacted James and informed him that there was a willing participant for that equally terrifying experiment of his. I instructed him to visit a certain bar, where he came into contact with a dusty old crow.

James learned of the tragic tale of young Ruby Rose. Qrow withheld the details, yet managed to gain his sympathies. James then came to Taiyang with a proposal. A way to seal Ruby Rose's Semblance. Although he was observably uneasy, his duty as Yang's father won out. Ruby Rose was taken away.

That was when I acted.

I couldn't let anyone use her. No one would ever use her abilities against humanity. _She_ would never touch Ruby Rose. I would make sure of that while she was still ignorant.

* * *

-Is most likely what he's thinking, that fool. He believes that I do not know. How foolish can you be, Ozpin?

Do you really think I would be so unaware as to miss the creation of a creature of Grimm? One that I, myself, didn't partake in creating?

I shouldn't be surprised. Forever an incorrigible fool.

How could you pass up something so valuable? How could you underestimate her potential? I will never understand.

I wonder, Ozpin, how did it feel to take away the soul of a little human girl? Did you ever consider how unfair it was? To strip her core from her? To take away everything that made 'Ruby Rose' what she was?

Did you ever consider how scared she might've been?

You're nothing but a revolting hypocrite, Ozpin!

You conscript children to fight in your war, yet you would essentially kill one if she proved to be a toxic element? Do you still believe yourself to be just?

If you do, what of little Rose? If the war is won, and I lie dead at your feet, will you feel proud of yourself? At a victory built upon sacrifices of your making, that weren't yours to make?

Does the death of her soul ignite the spark of hope in yours?

Have you no shame?

If you devise these cruel plans, then you should have the resolve to stick to them!

Continue to scheme, Ozpin. Continue to hide behind your wall of sacrifice.

I will take advantage of the opportunities your paranoia caused you to miss.

Everything I need, you have already given me! The seeds of doubt were sown with your own actions.

Listen closely; This will be the first and last time that I will give you my gratitude.

Thank you, Ozpin. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity. I'll make sure my little Rose is there to give her thanks as well when I finally end you. It won't be genuine, though; You've taken that ability away from her.

For now, I will abide my time. For now, I will let you believe you have the upper hand.

However, know this, Ozpin: You will not grasp victory. You've made sure of that yourself.

Now, I believe I have to go research something.

How _does_ one restore a soul?

I wonder if Little Rose's sibling might have the answer?

* * *

Super short chapter this time. Only 1k words. Oh well.

Not my best work, but I don't think it's too bad. I like the second part more than the first.

So, the good guy, the one who fights and kills Grimm, would rather have Ruby become one of them. The bad guy, the one who commands all the Grimm, is trying to restore her humanity. Yeah.

Onto reviews!

Bomberguy789: Ha, now I really want to write a crack pairing between Goodwitch and Torchwick. And yeah, you're right. It is-

Imagine Exorcist: She's not exactly playing with a full deck, no. As for the rest, It'll be explained. Eventually. I mean, there's a hint to it in this chapter. Kind of.

FirstTimeStoryTeller: Cliffhangers are great. I love 'em. You love 'em. We all do. And thank you for your interest in this story!

Trewill91: Not quite. Try again after reading this chapter. It's pretty obvious now.

WolvesRock14: Thank you for the (long) review! As an amateur writer, I try to do my best. Glad you liked the dialogue chapter; It was my favorite as well. This one's a monologue chapter, but I hope it's still enjoyable.

Thank you to all that express an interest in this story.

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

After those last two, it's back to Ruby's perspective. This chapter isn't good, but I wanted to hurry past Ruby's Signal years so that we can get to the start of the main plot.

Thank you for expressing an interest in this story! I'm having fun writing, and it's always nice to see reviews.

PS: I totally didn't write this because I love the design for Qrow's weapon.

* * *

 _3 Years Ago..._

 _'This,'_ Ruby decided, ' _is kinda weird.'_

Ruby, that morning, had been projecting her best possible mood. She, since she woke up, she made sure she had her biggest smile plastered on her face and added a spring to her step. Today, she knew for sure, she should be excited. She should be excited, yet...

 _'I wonder where I went wrong?'_

In the current situation, Ruby had an idea of what the appropriate reaction should be, and it was no longer excitement. Everything was going fine up until she entered the building. For reasons unknown to her, other people seemed to react much differently than what she imagined.

Had she misjudged? No, no, that couldn't be. Without a doubt, she should be jumping in joy. It was her first day at Signal Academy, after all. This was the start of her dream, the first step to becoming a world-renowned Huntress. After graduating from Signal, she would be accepted into one of the four main combat academies: Haven, Atlas Academy, Shade, or Beacon. Her way of carrying herself was definitely reasonable, considering the circumstances.

So, why, then? Why were all of the other students acting differently? Why could she sense all of the negative emotions rolling off of them in thick waves? Didn't they all want to become super cool Hunters and Huntresses? If not, then why were they attending the academy? She decided she should probably found out, so she asked the students sitting near her.

"Well, I mean, It's not like I don't want to become a kickass Hunter or anything, but...you know?"

"Yeah, yeah! Man, I get what you're saying. I'm looking forward to going out and slaughtering some Grimm 'n all, but...you know?

"Indeed. While I am anticipating my debut as an untouchable Huntress, it has to do with _that."_

""It's too much work to become one, you know?""

Ruby was confused. Their logic wasn't getting through to her. Too much work? Is that what all of the other students thought about the classes at Signal? She looked around to find other students nodding their head in agreement with the three she had spoken to.

It was odd. Ruby had a habit of second guessing herself, a byproduct of her unique situation, but no matter how hard she tried to find fault within her own thoughts, she came up empty. So, by process of elimination, it was her classmates who were wrong?

It had to be. She, herself, had been training for the sake of realizing her dream since eight years ago. Compared to what her father put her through, these classes were nothing. So, why is it that everyone else was complaining?

She didn't understand.

* * *

Months passed without much of anything happening. Ruby had settled into a routine; She would wake up, eat, head off to school, arrive home, Finish any homework, train with her father, then sleep. Though she wasn't able to tell for herself, many of the other students were complaining about how boring it all was.

Ruby didn't mind, but she knew she was different than them. It was ironic that she had more drive than the rest of them, being soulless and all, but she took it all in stride. Though, she did have the advantage of never having to experience what boredom was, so she supposed that counted as a plus.

However, her differences soon led her to be isolated from the rest of the class. She personally thought her act was super good, but everyone seemed to pick up on the fact that the girl wasn't quite like the rest of them. Not that she minded, of course, but it did make some of the work harder when she had no one to check her answers with.

Different or not, her student days continued.

* * *

 _One Year Ago..._

"Did you hit yourself on the head before creating this thing, Kid? Do I need to check you over for concussions?"

It was rejected. Just like that.

Ruby stood stock still for a moment, unsure of how to respond to her adoptive father's rude comment, before she settled on a pout. "What? What's wrong with it, Dad? I made sure to design it perfectly!" she protested.

Qrow, however, was unfazed. He'd seen that reaction too many times. At first, It'd been successful in making him feel the slightest bit guilty, but soon that face lost its novelty.

"Ruby, what'd I tell you about creating a weapon?" he inquired. Ruby didn't really understand why he was asking something he already knew the answer to, but she responded anyway.

"You said to make sure it's practical," she answered immediately. He had stressed that particular point many times right before her class was granted time to forge their weapons, so there was no way she would forget it so soon.

Qrow nodded his head, crimson eyes staying fixed on the crimson blade. "Right. Now, Kid, tell me what's wrong with this thing."

"Nothing at all!" she replied cheerfully. How could anything be wrong with it? Crescent Rose was designed with her utmost care!

"No, there's something bothering me about this. If you choose to use your head here, you'll figure it out."

Use her head? What in the world was he talking about. What could be wrong with her lovely Crescent Rose? She was perfect!

Qrow sighed, placing his head in the palm of his hand. "Ruby," he said tiredly, "what's the difference between you and the other students?"

"I don't have a soul!" she chirped. He seemed off-put for a moment at her casual admittance, but schooled his features the next moment and nodded his head affirmatively.

"Right. You don't have a soul. Now, what else does that mean?" she thought for a bit longer than the previous time.

"I don't have a Semblance?" she answered, feeling unsure.

"Right. You're lacking one of the main assets of a Huntress. Now, why don't you have a Semblance?"

"I don't have an Aura. Is there a reason you're asking me all of this?" she inquired, planting a mystified expression on.

Her father ignored her comment at the end. "Right, you don't have an Aura." he confirmed. So, would you like to tell me why you chose to create _one of the most dangerous weapons in existence?"_

"Well, if it's dangerous, isn't that a good thing? I'll be able to dispatch Grimm much quicker! She exclaimed happily.

Qrow sent her a tired look. "It's dangerous for you, too, idiot." At his daughter's puzzled expression, he elaborated. "A scythe is a weapon built for _speed_. It's not meant to be used by someone like you."

Ruby still hadn't quite grasped his intentions. "But-but... Isn't that a good thing? I mean, I can't really take hits, so I have to rely on speed. Isn't a scythe perfect for me?" she questioned.

"Look, Ruby. Even I can't avoid every attack sent my way." Ruby arranged her face to convey realization. "Get it now? When I get hit, my Aura takes the brunt of the damage, so I'm never hurt too badly. That's why I can afford to use a scythe. You? You'll get cut. Your bones will break. You will die. Easily. And you don't even have _half_ of my speed."

At the look of forced sadness on Ruby's countenance, Qrow let loose yet another sigh. "Honestly, Kid, what were you thinking? When I told you to make sure your weapon was practical, I thought you'd already taken all this into account. I wanted you to create a shield, or a broadsword, or _something_ with a lot of surface area." Qrow shook his head slowly.

Ruby drooped her shoulders. "So, um, do I have to get rid of Crescent, then?"

"No, I'm taking it."

Ruby forced her eyes open wide to convey a feeling of shock. "What!? What're you going to do with her?"

"I'm going to use it, of course." Ruby let her jaw drop. Qrow using the weapon she made? She would've been ecstatic! But, then again...

"What am I going to do now? Should I go forge a sword or something? I don't exactly have another weapon I can use..." she muttered.

"We don't have the resources for that. Signal's rules state that each student may only create one weapon, unless that weapon is made to be used in conjunction with another weapon." Qrow eyed his brand new scythe. "And I doubt we can convince the Headmaster that you were planning on using _this thing_ in conjunction with another weapon." Ruby hung her head, looking defeated.

"But who said you don't have a weapon? You've been practicing with one for a while now."

"I've been practicing with _yours,_ Dad." He grinned down at the small girl.

"Exactly. See, I recently happened upon this brand new, fully functional sniper-scythe here. It looks much better than the old hunk of metal that I used to use." he threw his weapon, still in its compact form, at Ruby. "So I don't need that thing anymore. Funny thing about that piece of junk? It also happens to be a broadsword."

Ruby looked down at the 'piece of junk' she held in her hands. She wasn't even sure what manner of expression to wear.

"No need to look so down, Kid. I'll teach you how to use a scythe properly. Once you reach my level of speed and technique, I'll take that thing back and let you use this masterpiece of yours. For now, you'll have to settle for that."

"Plus, it'll be better for you to use something you're familiar with. Easier than learning the ins and outs of a new weapon."

He smiled down at her and ruffled her hair. "So, squirt, ready to show me how to use this beauty of yours?"

Ruby wore a joyful expression, nodding eagerly.


	7. Chapter 7

Salutations! I was planning on releasing this chapter two days earlier than this, but things happened. Keeping a chapter a day update schedule is pretty hard, even if the chapters are only about 2k words each. Sometimes, less than that. I still try to write at least a little every day.

Well, I haven't much more to say, so lemme move on to reviews.

Parker: Yeah, I'm not the best at writing summaries. Glad you're liking the actual story, though!

Enderhunter991: I think Salem is more interesting this way. Ozpin, certainly, makes for a more interesting antagonist(?)

Bomberguy789: Ozpin just does what's best for humanity. Supposedly. He really needed keep Salem from Ruby before she used Ruby's Semblance to-

Babygirlz: Sorry for the tears! I just really didn't think a giant scythe was a proper main weapon for a fifteen year old girl without Aura. Adding to that, she's lacking her super speed.

Trewill91: Yeah, as I said earlier, I didn't think a scythe was a practical main weapon for Ruby, who has no Aura and no super speed. Qrow's has a scythe form, but Ruby will be using the sword form most often.

* * *

Honestly, all things considered, he really didn't want to walk into that room. His mind raced with endless excuses he could make to the woman waiting inside. He could say there was a student emergency. He could claim that he was called in for a meeting between the Headmasters. He knew he had a variety of plausible excuses primed and ready, yet here he was, schooling his features as he prepared to meet with what lay within. Or rather, _who_ lay within.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. He couldn't afford to even feel anxiety, much less express it. One misstep would alert the other presence to his past misdeeds. He couldn't hide his feelings from a Grimm; If he showed any semblance of guilt, she would pick up on it, and that would lead to a multitude of questions that he could not answer under any circumstance.

No, he had to ensure he acted as if nothing was wrong. As if he hadn't robbed her of her core. It was nothing more than him doing what was necessary at the time. A power so frightening should never be allowed to exist, lest it fall into the wrong hands. Adding to that, Ruby Rose was young and naive, and therefore all too corruptible. Yes, it was all necessary; Letting her retain that disastrous power would've brought calamity eventually. His actions actions were correct.

Everything he did was for the purpose of saving Remnant.

His heart slowed to a slow and steady pace, no longer beating erratically in his chest. After checking himself over one more time, he grabbed the doorknob and twisted.

The sight waiting to greet his eyes was odd, to say the least.

"Ahem," he coughed. Two pairs of eyes snapped to his figure, which they swore wasn't there just a second ago. Meanwhile, Ozpin was still trying to figure out exactly what happened in this room. His prized professor had a young girl cloaked in red bent over her knee, her bare bottom having turned a darker red than her cloak, presumably caused by the older woman's hand, which was poised to strike down again.

Glynda's face turned a deeper shade of red than Ruby's stinging backside. "O-Ozpin!" She hurriedly picked herself up from her position on the ground, frantically straightening out the wrinkles in her clothes. "Everything isn't as it seems! I was simply disciplining the little br- Miss Rose!" she quickly explained, desperate to repair the situation.

Ozpin's eyebrow shot up. "Discipline? Did Miss Rose do something to you, Glynda?" Whatever it was, it had to be something exceptionally irritating. He knew that she, as a professor, had to deal with her fair share of infuriating teenagers. Over the years she taught at his school, she had built up an astounding level of tolerance to pubescent shenanigans, so it would have to take _something_ to get her so worked up.

Gynda's eyes narrowed. "Miss Rose, here," she gestured to the small girl who was struggling to pull her skirt back up. Ruby, noticing it, waved at them both, a wide, lazy smile on her lips. "Stepped in to stop a robbery earlier. One headed by none other than the infamous thief, Roman Torchwick." she explained.

"Yes, I know of that. You told me as much when you brought her here into this interrogation room." he responded.

"She knocked out the men he brought with him, then proceeded to give chase when he ran from her. I arrived in time to protect her from a violent dust explosion, but Torchwick and his associates made their escape."

"And how does this lead to the situation I walked in in?"

The professor's face reddened, but certainly not in embarrassment. No, Ozpin could tell. Glynda Goodwitch was _furious. "_ Miss Rose, this underweight fifteen year old girl, was, of all things, _drunk!"_

Ozpin blinked in confusion. "Miss Rose was...intoxicated?"

A vein appeared on the blonde's forehead. "She was drunk, and she stepped in to stop a robbery! What in the world was she thinking!?"

Ozpin couldn't help but nod his head in agreement. "It seems I need to have _words_ with Qrow."

"Qrow? As in Qrow Branwen? The drunkard?" Goodwitch questioned.

"The very one. He's the father of young Miss Rose here."

Glynda went stiff with shock. She looked back toward Ruby, who was now slumbering peacefully, and then back at Ozpin. He nodded. She looked back and slumped her weary shoulders. "...I suppose that does explain the red eyes, then." she sighed.

Ozpin inwardly flinched. "Yes, I suppose it does," he lied smoothly. He felt a pang of guilt prick his heart at the reminder of what he had done to the innocent girl. A moment later, it was gone, smothered with his unbreakable resolve.

 _'It was all necessary,'_ he reminded himself. It was an unfortunate consequence that his actions would cause her to slowly morph into a Creature of Grimm, but he did not regret the choice he made at the time. Keeping her away from Salem took precedence over all other matters. He refused to let emotions cloud his rational judgement.

Or so he often told himself.

"Yeeeahh..." Two heads turned toward the chair on which the little red girl was dozing off. It seemed Glynda was too loud, as the girl was slowly rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Thash my daaad." she slurred out, clearly still under the influence of the alcohol she imbibed. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the blonde woman clench her fist tightly. Wisely, he kept quiet about it.

He gave his attention back to the young Miss Rose. "So, Miss Rose, I heard you stopped a robbery? I must commend you for your bravery, yet chastise you fo-" he didn't get to finish before Ruby cut in.

"Yeeeah, yeeeah," she waved her hand dismissively. "I already heard that speech from the pretty lady with anger issues there," she said, pointing an unsteady finger at the blonde. On the other end of that finger, Glynda was trying to decide whether to be flattered that Ruby called her pretty, or to light her cloak ablaze for saying she had a temper. Then again, the latter would prove the brat's point, so she abstained.

"Then, I suppose that makes my job easier," he mused. He pushed his glasses up with his finger and fixed a stare on Ruby Rose. "I am here simply to make sure of your well-being. I received an urgent call from Glynda here," He pointed to the blonde professor beside him. "and rushed over. Though, I am curious as to one other thing."

He found it quite odd. He had been observing Ruby Rose for more than ten years now, and there was one thing that stood out to him about her actions today. Because of his own work, she was akin to Grimm. She had no soul, and therefore no emotions.

If that was true, then why had she even bothered to protect the old owner of the dust shop? She could've simply walked on by, ignoring his crisis. That was the logical thing to do, and she was a creature of only instinct and logic. He couldn't fathom why she had forgone her own safety for another's.

Before he asked his question, he motioned for Glynda to exit the room. She shot a skeptical look at him, but had no real reason to question her decision. She nodded and slipped out the door. Ozpin turned back to face the young girl, and asked his question.

"Miss- no, Ruby Rose," he looked deep into her eyes, searching for something, some kind of clue. "Why did you involve yourself in this robbery?"

Ruby looked back into his eyes, puzzled. "Why?" she parroted back at him, testing the word on her lips. "Why..." she repeated. He couldn't tell whether she was ruminating on his question or if the alcohol was still impairing her thoughts.

"Well, you see, I have this dream, you know?"

He watched as her eyes seemingly began to gleam with passion. ' _A trick of the light,'_ he assured himself. Her words bothered him, however, as she shouldn't even be _able_ to dream. He had to make sure. He needed closure, to learn why she was mimicking humanity by pretending to be something she's not.

"And, what, If I may be so rude as to ask, is this...dream of yours, Miss Rose?"

Ozpin's stomach turned over on itself. The light in her eyes only grew brighter, until it illuminated her whole face. He couldn't deny it any longer; that passion was _genuine._ She truly desired to achieve whatever dream she had. Which meant one thing, and one thing only.

He had failed. Ruby Rose's soul was never completely eradicated; some remnant of her core had survived his sabotage.

He needed to contact James. He needed a new story to use in his manipulation. He had to make sure Ruby Rose could never be used against humanity even if that meant he'd have to-

"I want to be a Huntress! One as cool and as kind as Mom!"

His thoughts ground to a halt. His eyes widened. His body began to tremble.

Of all things, it's _that?_ A Huntress? She desired to protect humanity? Did she even know what she was?

Did she even know what humanity had done to her?

Ozpin, in a very rare moment of weakness, found himself believing that perhaps he really should have just let Salem have her. Even being a monster, she would have provided Ruby with everything Ruby wanted. As opposed to himself, who stole it all away.

Sometimes, it was hard to always have the best interests of humanity at the forefront of his mind. Especially when confronted with the consequence of his past actions.

He noticed that, now that she had relayed her dream, her eyes dimmed down to that ever-familiar dull crimson. The pressure gripping his heart didn't leave him, but loosened enough to allow him a breath.

"I...I see..." he whispered, head hung low. He didn't dare look her in the eyes again, lest she regain that light even for a moment. For the first time, he found the darkness more comforting than the light.

Ruby nodded her head, now with false eagerness. "Yep! It's always been my plan! I'll finish Signal, go to one of the major combat schools, graduate, then become a super-cool Huntress. Like those ones in the fairy tales I read!" She continued rambling on and on, but Ozpin stopped listening once he heard two certain words.

Could he make it up to her? Did he dare to claim he had the right? Moreover, could he bring himself to allow this?

His logical side, which comprised the majority, said it was out of the question. What he was thinking was stupidly irrational, something he'd never do otherwise. It would put him at a disadvantage; If Ruby Rose were to, eventually, completely regain her soul, he wanted to be as far away as possible, to ensure that he wasn't _warped_ in the same manner as her elder sister.

His emotional side was screaming at him to amend this situation. He had taken a promising young Huntress candidate and stole everything away from her. It was the least he could do to offer her this one thing.

Moreover, if she was closer, he could destroy her soul the moment something seemed askew.

He truly did run on logic.

Ozpin took a deep breath, staring at the hyperactive redhead before him. He was determined to fix this mistake, and these next few words would be his olive branch.

"Miss Rose, are you aware of my identity?" Ruby, who was still muttering to herself, looked befuddled at his odd question. Know him? She didn't really know _anyone_ besides Dad, Daddy, and Yang.

"No? Should I know who you are? Are you famous or something? If you are, can I get your autograph? I think an autograph from a Huntsman- oh, I'm just assuming you're a Huntsman after seeing your cane- would sell for a lot! Do you know how much yours is worth?" She fired off questions rapidly.

"In order: Most people at least know _of_ me. Which means I do have quite a bit of fame, yes. Do you have something for me to sign? My autograph is worth quite a lot."

"Oh, cool! I really needed some money for some new shotgun rounds, but Dad's too stingy! Oh, and, um, sorry for rambling. I think you were going to introduce yourself or something?" Ozpin smiled across the table at her.

"I believe I was going to, indeed." He closed his eyes and inhaled, then exhaled, deeply. When his eyes opened once again, they were filled with resolve.

"My name is Ozpin. I am the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. Have you heard of it?"


	8. Chapter 8

Well, I know many of you thought that this chapter was going to be the first Beacon chapter. Sorry, but there's one more thing I needed to get out of the way. This is that thing.

By the way, I hope you all don't mind the fact that I seem to switch writing styles fairly often. Chapter 4 was only dialogue. I thought it worked best there, and I was curious about trying to write something that freely flowed.

Chapter 5 was half 1st person Ozpin and half Salem monologue, practically having a conversation with a phantom Ozpin. A mono-dialogue? I don't know.

This chapter is back to first person. The rest of the chapters are written in third person.

I really switch styles too much, though I hope that's not a super bad thing.

Lemme get to some reviews.

WolvesRock14: A chapter a day is impossible? Is that a challenge?

I'm kidding. You're completely right; It's a hard schedule to keep, even with short chapters. I'll still try to write at least a little everyday so I don't get lazy and start procrastinating.

On another note, thank you for your high praise! These chapters are all written without much structure, but I'm happy they're still interesting.

Imagine Exorcist: Couldn't write a story with Qrow as Ruby's dad without having her have a taste of alcohol. Beacon chapter next (probably).

Bomberguy789: Anything to give humanity an edge against evil. Wouldn't want Ruby to be pointed at them, told to activate her Semblance, then-

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

EDIT: Made a mistake at the end of the chapter. It's fixed now. I suppose that's what I get for writing and quality checking this at two in the morning.

I really should add a disclaimer, huh?

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

* * *

"-And so I took out a lighter and lit it on fire and said 'Dad, stop trying to slip me vodka! You're drunk!" We giggled together. It felt good, to let loose like this. The last time we talked like this was years ago. Of course, things were much different now.

"One of these days you'll fall to the sweet temptation of alcohol, Ruby." I internally cringed when I said her name. It felt wrong to use it to refer to 'her.'

I said that she'd drink eventually, but knew it'd never happen. She not like the rest of us. She has no need to forget anything. I looked over at her. She tapped the tips of her pointer fingers together. It was Ruby's nervous habit. That's Ruby's, so please stop.

"Well...about that...ahaha." Despite my dislike of her, that... _sound_ she made elicited a laugh. "Hey, don't laugh at me! I can't help it!" She pouted again. Another one of Ruby's old habits. Stop mimicking Ruby. You're not her.

"Come on, Rubes! You've gotta admit, that thing is nowhere near a laugh!" I wanted to bite down on my tongue.

"I know, it needs work!" she mock-yelled at me. "Anyway, about that drinking thing..." she trailed off. Wait, really? Was she trying to say that she'd already had something? That was surprising. It was probably some antic of Qrow's.

"Don't tell me you've already dabbled in our world? No, is it true? Has my sweet sister finally been corrupted!?" The pain from calling her my sister was agonizing, but it wasn't enough to stop me from my dramatic play. "My world has been turned over!" That happened a long time ago.

She waved her hands around frantically. Stop that. "It wasn't by choice! It's all Dad's fault! He left his whiskey next to my ginger ale and I got them mixed up!" she explained desperately. If I hadn't been Ruby's sister, I wouldn't even be able to tell that she was faking her response. I am, though, so I had to go through the trouble of keeping my eyes from turning red. Like hers.

That was another thing that threatened to have me burst into flames. I knew it all. What had happened to Ruby. What was happening to her body.

Who was behind the scenes, orchestrating this vile plot.

It was him who I hated more than anyone else. I loathed him more than I did the one inhabiting Ruby's body.

Poor Ruby. It was by his hand that she would wake up in a body different than the one she once had. Those beautiful, and apparently powerful, silver eyes were gone, as if they were ripped right out of her skull and replaced with those of a Grimm.

It was all his fault.

"I knew that, Ruby. You're too much of a good girl; You'd never drink anything even a little bit alcoholic." That was true for the both of them. Well, part of it, at least. The one in front of me wouldn't drink because, logically, alcohol would be nothing but a negative. There was no practical value when you had nothing to suppress.

She forced a pout on her face. Stop it, please. I can't hold myself back much longer. "That's not true! I can be a super bad girl when I want to!"

"Yeah, and I gave Dad a lock of my hair for a birthday gift." Yeah, no. I'd never give my hair to anyone, much less Dad.

"It's true!"

"When was the last time you did anything bad?"

"I, uh, haven't really done anything bad," she muttered. "But I can start any time I want to!"

"Rubes, I think we need to get you to a doctor! You have a bad case of Reverse Addiction!"

"Yaaaang!" I turned my head to the side, hiding my enraged eyes from her view. "Besides, when's the last time _you_ did something super bad, huh?" she said, a smug look plastered on.

"You've got me there, Rubes." To be fair, I _am_ a lot more merciful than the others. Still a far cry from what Ruby meant. The cookie jar was a bit bigger, and had no cookies. Basically, it was just a jar. Except I don't make a habit of robbing empty jars. This is a terrible analogy, isn't it?

Before she had the chance to ask anything else, I turned the tables on her. "So, Rubes, what have you been up to?" I really am kinda curious. Although I made it a habit to check up on her once in a while, from a distance, I only checked for any injuries before leaving.

"Oh, let me start at the beginning!"

We talked for quite some time. She told me of her life after Ozpin, Ironwood, and Dad stole her away from me.

She started with her training with Qrow. Apparently, he told her to stop acting like a human in battle, something I agree with one hundred percent. She should also stop acting like that outside of battle, but Qrow never said anything about that.

She then spoke of her time at Signal. I almost felt bad for her, when she told me of her complete isolation. I thought it'd be something like that. Something non-human had no place around the rest of us. Though, do I really count as human, the way I am? I guess it doesn't really matter.

Finally, she told me of a robbery. Of course, I already knew; It would be odd for me to not know about it, considering, you know, I was part of it and all. She didn't recognize me, though. I guess I have to thank Neo later.

Really, I need to thank her. For much more than one single illusion. She had been the only one to dig deep enough to find out about who I was, underneath all of the false cheer.

At first, it was kinda annoying. I really didn't want to tell anyone else about Ruby, much less some strange, sadistic criminal. It was my business, my pain to deal with and all of that melodramatic drama. Embarrassingly enough, I was kinda sorta super emo until recently.

She didn't really pester me or anything. Neo made it a rule of hers to ask only twice a day, maximum, so that I didn't feel like she was pressuring me. Told me it was all a part of her 'evil master plan' to get me to reveal my deepest, darkest secrets to her so she could use them to manipulate me.

I'm still waiting for her to actually ask me something. I really want to make it up to her.

Before we talked, I could never do what I'd done earlier. Even the _thought_ of calling 'that thing' my sister would've been enough to set me off. I probably would've destroyed a couple buildings, at least.

Eventually, I cracked. It was after I went through a particularly difficult day. I ran into Dad when I was restocking on food and supplies.

Needless to say, that wasn't much of a pleasant conversation.

Anyway, I was certainly not huddled up in the corner of a warehouse and the wetness from my eyes was sweat, not tears.

Neo, the masterful criminal she is, took advantage of my moment of weakness. While my guard was down, she asked the same question she'd been throwing at me for months. And I caved in.

For the first time, I revealed my broken familial ties. I released information about myself, Ruby, Dad, Mom, Other Mom, and Qrow.

I even told her a secret I'd vowed I would take to the grave with me; I told her about Ruby's Semblance.

She knew that, no matter how often she asked, she'd never get a straight answer out of me. I'd just not answer, deflect the question, or shut her down outright. So, she saw an opportunity and took it. That's one of the many things I like about her.

We're both willing to do anything to get what we want.

"-ang? Yang!?" A childish voiced forced my thoughts away.

"Sorry 'bout that, Rubes. I got lost in thought. What is it?" she made an odd face, one that I couldn't figure out.

"Hey, Yang, what were you thinking about?" It would be bad if I let her know about Neo, so I lied.

"About your name." She looked confused. "I was wondering why people still call you 'Rose' now that you're legally a Branwen."

"Because it's Mom's name! There's no way I'd ever give it up!"

"Didn't Qrow try to persuade you?" I questioned. I can't believe he would allow her to keep such a recognizable link to her old life. Maybe he was drunk; I wouldn't bet against it.

"Of course he did, but I managed to persuade him! We settled on 'Ruby Branwen-Rose' as my full name."

Her response had me rolling on the floor laughing. I couldn't believe it! That name was so suggestive! It definitely made it sound like _Qrow_ got together with Summer! Ha, sorry Dad.

So much for 'ENTIRE TEAM!' That was good while it lasted. Oh well.

"Huh? What's so funny, Yang? I think it's a great name!"

"Sorry, Rubes, it's nothing. Just remembered something funny," I responded.

"Oh, if that's all, then do you mind if I ask you something?" She seemed really curious, so I obliged.

"Fire away."

"What were you really thinking about just now?" I froze. How did she know I had lied? Did she see something on my face?

"W-whaddya mean, Ruby?" I stammered out.

"All of your anger toward me evaporated completely when you were lost in thought. Something like that only happens that quickly when negative emotions are subdued by positive ones." Her words caused me to jump up to my feet.

What?

Huh?

Eh?

Ruby can sense negative emotions. I forgot. Stupid! Stupid Yang! She knows! She knows how much you loathe her! Why the hell did I forget something so important!?

"Wait! No reason to get so angry at yourself, Yang! I'm not going to say anything about it!" My head snapped up. "It's not like I can get offended by it or anything."

That's right. She doesn't care. She can't care. Why was I so afraid of her finding out? Do...do I still associate her with Ruby? Even though the very thought disgusts me?

"Besides, you're doing all of this for me, right? Thank you, Yang!" She showed off that stupid fabricated cheer once again. I hated it. It was awful! Ruby's joy didn't look so pathetic!

"Not for you! Nothing I do is for you!" She did nothing.

"It's all for Ruby, not you!" She said nothing.

"You're not even human!" She made no move.

"Just a filthy Creature of Grimm!" She didn't falter.

Unlike me.

I was over all of this, right!? So, why!? Why do I feel like I'm five years-old, standing in the garden, venting my frustrations against an unchanging smile!?

"Why can't you just-"

My next words hitched in my throat when I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder. I looked behind to find a comforting sight. Two eyes, one brown, one a pale-pink, staring back up at me.

"...I can't do this right now. Neo, can you please finish what 'She' asked me to do?" Her eyes lingered for a moment, narrowing in concern.

' _I expect you to head straight home.'_ she signed.

"Yes, Mom," I retorted weakly. I'm too tired.

 _'I'll be home as soon as I'm done.'_

"Right, right. I'll be a good girl and wait for you. Just please...please finish this up." She gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze and turned to face the other individual.

Hopefully, whatever 'She' did to 'that thing' once Neo brought it to her would finally kick-start her Grimm conversion. Then, everything could begin.

"Yang? Are you okay? Who's this?"

I didn't respond.

I really need a drink.


	9. Chapter 9

Here it is, chapter nine. This took a lot longer than I thought it would, probably because I've been reading a lot more than I've been writing. In other words, I've been lazy. My bad.

Funny thing is, I was actually going to try to get to initiation with this chapter. Then conversations dragged on. Then I lost my will to write something that was going to exceed three thousand words. Then I decided to end it before they even get to the building.

In other words, I was lazy. My bad.

Anyway, Ruby and Jaune sure are great friends. They sure are great _friends._ Sorry, Lancaster shippers. Unless Jaune's development goes in a completely different way than I expect it to, there will be no Ruby/Jaune. Not romantically, at least. They will, however, spend a lot more time together than they did in cannon, because I happen to like him quite a bit.

Onto reviews:

Bomberguy789: No comment. Otherwise it'd be-

FoxyFoxation: To tell the truth, this hurts me too. Yang is my 2nd favorite member of Team RWBY after Ruby. You know what they say, though: "If you love something, torture it to hell. If it comes back, it's probably going to torture you next." That's how that saying went, right?

Anyway, thanks for expressing an interest in this story!

Trewill91: At least those are done with for now. Just wanted to set a couple things up before Ruby went to Beacon.

Hope you all enjoy this chapter, though it's a bit dull.

Please review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

* * *

' _Maybe,'_ she thought, _'It was all a dream?'_

That explanation, though cliche and normally improbable, seemed reasonable to Ruby. In the moment, she hadn't bothered to question it; It wasn't everyday that she met her sister who she hadn't seen in ten years. During their conversation, she had her hands full just trying to act normal. She never had time to question just how odd the situation was.

Now, though, she held her doubts; It all seemed too unlikely. Why did Yang decide to show up after ten years? Moreover, right after she was accepted Beacon? Had she known? If she had, then how?

Yep, she decided, it was a dream. nothing but a dream.

If she were capable of doing so, she would have wished she was dreaming now as well; greenish yellow, no matter what anyone said, was _not_ a nice addition to her black-red combat boots.

"Not the shoes, not the shoes!" she wailed at the scraggly blond boy who was currently depositing his lunch on her boots. Those things cost money! They cost a lot! Moreover, with her dad constantly spending all their finances on alcohol, she didn't have a lot to spend on herself.

No, she couldn't afford to custom order some new boots, which is why she made sure to appear really annoyed to the one who gagged up all over them.

The blond boy looked up at her, face green and still visibly queasy. "Sorry...I didn't me-" A groan of pain escaped his throat. Ruby, sensing the imminent danger, wisely jumped back two feet, a safe distance away from the boy. A moment later, he doubled over for round two. Luckily, no one else would be needing to get new shoes.

"Wow, forget initiation! You can't even make it through the airplane ride!" Ruby exclaimed innocently, causing the blond's face to fall. Ruby looked at him, her features arranged to express concern. Did she say something wrong?

"Hey, you. Guy who just vomited all over my boots!" said boy looked over at her, "Do you want some antacid? I have some, along with a lot of other medicine, packed in this here carry-on bag!" Ruby held up a black satchel with a red strap.

In an instant, the blond was off the floor and right up in her personal space. He grabbed her unoccupied hand in both of his and stared deep into her eyes. "I, Jaune Arc, will forever wield my sword in your honor!" he shouted, forcing Ruby to make sure she took a step back to convey surprise. Everyone else on the Airship turned to look at the odd pair. After putting on a show of recomposing herself, she spoke.

"Um, that's a little heavy, so I think I'm gonna pass. How about you just clean these," she pointed down at her barf-adorned boots, "when we get to Beacon?" she offered.

"Sure, no problem! And, uh, the stomach medicine, please?" He asked, looking squeamish once again. "Or else I'm going to have a lot more to clean." The blond, Jaune, presented her with an uneasy smile.

"Right. Gimme a minute; I know I have some in here somewhere." He quickly nodded his head and sat back down, holding his stomach.

A moment later and Ruby showed him his lifeline. "Here it is!" Ruby held up a box of stomach medicine. "I knew I packed some Toms with me!" Faster than any sort of speed Semblance would allow, Jaune ripped the box from her hands, opened one of the packages, and threw two pills down his throat. Not long after, his hand was removed from his stomach and a look of sweet relief found its way onto his face.

"Ah, all is good again" he sighed in contentment.

Ruby rolled her eyes to convey what she was supposed to be feeling. "You're overreacting. It couldn't have been _that_ bad..."

Jaune bristled in offense. "You have no idea! Motion sickness is a very, very serious problem!" he spoke vehemently. Ruby backed away a little. "It's worse than the Grimm!"

"You know, for someone trying to become a Huntsman, you sure say some odd things."

"Well, it's true! You've gotta have something similar, right...oh, yeah, I don't know your name yet." Jaune looked at the girl expectantly.

Ruby held out her hand to Jaune. "My name is Ruby Branwen-Rose, and I'm here to achieve my dream of being a Huntress just like the ones in old fairy tales!"

Jaune grasped her hand in his own. "The name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue - ladies love it!"

Ruby removed her hand from his, showing a smirk. "Do they?" she asked smugly.

"W-well, my mom always said..." he trailed off, cheeks tinted red in embarrassment.

"Do you give this introduction to everyone?" she questioned.

"Not _everyone..."_ Jaune's timid demeanor seemed to melt away as he prepared to..."Wait, Ruby, now that I think about it, you look kinda...small. How old are you anyway?"

Ruby puffed her cheeks out. "What? I'm not small! I'm fifteen! And I drink milk!"

Jaune sighed in relief. He really dodged a bullet there. "Shouldn't you still be in a middle school or something?"

"Middle school? What's that?" she asked. She'd never heard of it before; was it something like Signal?

"Er, basically, aren't you too young to go to Beacon? I thought the application said you had to be at least seventeen?"

"Oh, right! I got in a couple years early; apparently the headmaster was impressed with the way I handled Torchwick. Said somethi-" Jaune cut her off.

"Wait wait wait!" Ruby expressed confusion at his sudden. "Torchwick!? As in Roman Torchwick, Remnant's most infamous master thief!?" Jaune's mouth hung open.

"Um, yeah. Is he really such a big deal?" At Jaune's look of shock, she continued in a hurry. "Well, even if he is, I didn't actually capture him. Just got a bunch of his men," Ruby quickly explained. Ruby never liked to stand out when she was little, and now everyone was looking at her like she was some sort of superhuman, so she acted very uncomfortable.

Jaune found that he could speak again. "That's still a big deal! That's way more than..." he hesitated. _'That's so much more than_ I _could ever do...'_ he thought somberly.

"Jaune? Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah. Just got lost in thought." At the sight of a huge structure outside the window, Jaune felt his excitement levels rise, replacing his depressing thoughts with optimistic ones. "Ruby, look! We're finally here. Thank Oum!"

Ruby moved closer to the same window, looking out at the school. "So that's Beacon..." She stared at the black and silver structures, the main avenue leading to the entrance, and the tiny statue down below. She was sure she would've be excited.

She turned to her companion, framing the school with her hands, a large smile plastered on. "Welcome to Beacon, huh, Jaune?"

"...Yeah. Welcome to Beacon, Ruby."

* * *

Well, it had seemed welcoming at the time, anyway.

"In the name of Oum, what in Remnant were you thinking!? How could you stumble into a bag full of highly volatile Dust? Do you know how much damage you could've caused? And what is that on your shoes? Vomit? That's disgusting!" The girl, a tall, pretty, snow-haired girl with piercing blue eyes took a break from her tirade once she realized the recipient of her anger seemed to be staring off into space, wearing a blank face. "Hey, are you even listening to me!?"

"Um, no, actually. I tuned out a long time ago. Sorry." Ruby sent a sheepish smile back at the white haired girl. "You were talking too much, and weren't making any sense? Anyway, I told you it was an accident. Everyone makes mistakes. At least, I think they do," Ruby muttered the last part to herself.

Jaune was there to back her up. "Yeah, it really wasn't on purpose or anything. Ruby's just a bit clumsy, and..." he immediately shut up when the angered girl's icy sharp glare switched targets from the small girl to him. _'Sorry Ruby, but I don't really want to go up against_ that.

"My hero," Ruby said dryly. Jaune sent an apologetic smile her way.

"Pay attention when someone's talking to you!" she let out an exasperated sigh. "Dust, why did this have to happen on the first day, to me of all people?"

"I could say the same, I think," Ruby responded, keeping her tone dry.

"Ugh, whatever. I need to make my way to the entrance ceremony. I don't have the time to waste here," the girl grumbled to herself. "Klein! pick up those bags and follow me," she ordered. One of her attendants, an elderly man, gathered her luggage for her. "And, though I hope that I won't have the misfortune of running into you two oafs again, it would be base to neglect to introduce myself."

She stood proudly with a haughty expression. "My name is Weiss Schnee, Heiress of the SDC, or Schnee Dust Company, the most efficient and powerful Dust mining and distributing company on Remnant!" She smirked at the two, ready for them to give her the respect she deserved.

"Sneeze Dust Company?" the boy asked dumbly.

"Is every new person I meet going to give me an introduction like that?" the girl questioned, already picturing a world in which everyone had some grand epithet or title.

Weiss grumbled into her hand. "You really haven't heard of me, or of the SDC?"

"Are you some kind of tissue manufacturer or something?"

"Nope, never heard of it, though I _do_ know someone with that last name." Weiss, who had readying herself to smack the blond, turned sharply to Ruby.

"Who?" she demanded.

"Um, I think her name was...Winter? Yeah, that was it! Winter Schnee." At the mention of that name, Weiss's eyebrow shot up.

"You've met with Winter?"

"Um, not exactly in person or anything. My dad just talks about her sometimes."

Her dad? "And just who would your dad happen to be?"

"Qrow Branwen."

Weiss recognized that name. There was no way she wouldn't have.

Winter Schnee, her elder sister, wasn't a person who angered easily. She typically remained professional in any situation, no matter how chaotic her surroundings may be. However, there were two things that could get under her skin.

Their father, Jacques Schnee, was one of those things. Winter had always hated the feeling of being under his thumb, like every aspect of her life was being controlled. It was part of the reason she ran away and enlisted in the Atlas military. Weiss, herself, had done something similar by coming to Beacon, so she empathized with her sister.

The other thing, however, was something she had no experience with personally. Moreover, according to her sister, it was something far, _far_ worse than Jacques Schnee. At least ninety percent of her sister's anger stemmed from one person.

Namely, that thing was Qrow Branwen.

She had heard her sister's stories of the perpetually drunken Huntsman, of how irritating the man was. According to her, nothing good ever happened when he was around, as if he was the physical embodiment of her misfortune.

Her sister had once given her a word of advice; she'd never seen her look so gravely serious.

 _'Weiss, if you ever encounter someone with the surname of 'Branwen,' run: Run away, as fast and as far as you possibly can. They're all calamitous.'_

So, needless to say, Weiss visibly paled at the mention of that name. "A-and, your name is?"

The small girl smiled widely. "I am Remnant's Soon-to-be Number One Huntress, Slayer of Countless Grimm, Daughter of the Old Crow, Ruby Branwen-Rose!" Weiss's already pale face turned white as a sheet.

"O-oh, is that so?" Ruby nodded her head quickly. "W-well, it was a pleasure to meet you! I'll forgive you for earlier; everyone makes mistakes, r-right?" Weiss started backing away quickly, making her escape from the calamity in human form.

Ruby, though, sensed her incredible amount of unease. "Um, did I do something wrong? I think I acted normally...was it my introduction? I just thought it was really cool how everyone had some kind of opening line so I tried to copy it but maybe I didn't do it right or screwed it up in some way that I didn't think of and-"

"Uh, Ruby? I don't think that's it." A voice spoke from the side of the pair, startling the older girl. Her head reflexively to the source of the sound, only to find the blond dolt from earlier.

"Don't speak up so suddenly! I forgot you were there!" Jaune's face fell.

"That's mean, Weiss! Even if we forgot about Jaune's very existence, we shouldn't tell him that!" Ruby scolded her, oblivious to the damage she inflicted on her new friend. Even Weiss felt some sympathy toward the boy.

"Right...who cares about little old Jaune anyway? Jaune isn't interesting or fun to talk to or totally single or anything." he muttered dejectedly.

"Jaune? Are you alright? Did your motion sickness come back or something?"

"I think that one was _your_ fault, actually." Ruby looked at her, morphing her features to express confusion. Weiss, though her Winter-tainted filter, saw something different and her uneasiness came back. "I-I mean, it's probably nothing! He'll get better soon," her eyes promised pain, and Jaune knew it, "Right?"

He nodded his head vigorously. "Y-yeah! In fact, I feel better already!" he sighed in relief when those cold eyes left his form.

Ruby, of course, could sense that wasn't the case. His depressive feelings were gone, though they were replaced by the same nervous feeling she found in Weiss. Was it contagious or something? How frightening, she should think.

"Anyway!" the girl clothed in white chirped. "I really do have to go. I'll...see you around." she said, honestly hoping to never again encounter the redhead. She walked away quickly, her servants close behind, ignoring Ruby's calls from behind. Soon enough, she was out of sight.

"Well," Jaune ventured, "That was...something."

"Yeah, I guess she was."

"I don't think I'll ever manage to get myself to like her, " Jaune decided.

"Who knows? She might be a nice person underneath that cold exterior," Ruby suggested.

"Maybe, but I don't have the will to chip through _that_ ice."

Ruby hummed, neither in agreement nor disagreement. It didn't matter to her whether someone was 'nice' or not, so she didn't take any offense to Weiss's actions and derogatory manner of speaking.

"We should probably get going too, or we might miss the ceremony."

That, Jaune decided, was a very good idea. "Alright. Lead the way!" He started walking forward, only to be pulled back by the neck of his shirt. He looked to Ruby in question.

"But, before we do that, I think I have some boots for you to clean."


	10. Chapter 10

So, here's this thing. It's pretty short. I wrote most of it in one sitting. It's also not very exciting. I was planning to at least get to the start of initiation, but...

I was lazy. This seems to be a reoccurring trend, huh?

Onto reviews!

Yuri-sage: I agree 100%. They make great friends, but I can't really see them as actually being lovers. Also, that saying was an extremely off version of mine of that saying that goes, "If you love something, set it free. If it loves you, it'll come back." Yeah.

Imagine Exorcist: It'll be a bit hard to follow the same teammate pairings. Even if I did, without Yang RWBY loses its luster, in my opinion. Ruby will still interact with Weiss, of course, no matter how much the latter wishes for it not to happen.

Parker: Yeah...Ruby isn't just going to kiss and make up with Yang. First of all, that'd be incest. Second of all, that's improbable. In a sense, Yang is a kindred spirit to Ozpin, while also being his antithesis. As the author, I can't really hate Yang, but I can despise Ozpin.

* * *

"Ahem," the tall, ashen haired headmaster cleared his throat, "I'll try to keep this brief."

Ruby, for reasons unknown to her, could feel something within her twist at the sight of the man. She felt like she was going to pull a Jaune and throw up right then and there. It wasn't the first time she had that odd feeling either; when she first met him during the interrogation, she had felt something similar, though she couldn't remember it clearly due to her intoxicated status at the time.

Deep within her, it felt as if something was rebelling at the idea of having Ozpin stand on a platform above her, which was odd because she shouldn't be able to feel much at all.

"You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

With every word, Ruby seemed to grow more and more uncomfortable, Jaune noticed. "Hey, Ruby? Are you alright?" Ruby either didn't hear him or was straight up ignoring him. For the sake of his tender feelings, he chose to believe the first.

Jaune realized that Ozpin was staring straight at him when he spoke. "But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." The blond averted his gaze in shame. Meanwhile, Ruby had also noticed the exchange, and her abdomen seemed to burn hotter. "You assume knowledge will free you of this but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far."

 _'Did that part really need to be said?'_ Ruby wondered. She pondered whether this long speech could actually resonate with _any_ student in attendance. After all, who had come to a combat school in pursuit of knowledge? She was fairly sure that everyone came to learn how to kill Grimm, not how to solve math equations.

"It is up to you to take the first step." What first step? His speech made no sense.

Another teacher, one Ruby vaguely remembered, stood up to take the microphone. Wasn't she the one who spanked her?

" You will gather in the ballroom tonight," she began. Ruby waved to her, but the professor ignored her. "Tomorrow your initiation begins," she informed. "Be ready. You are dismissed!"

"Hey, Ruby," Ruby looked to the blond who addressed her, "Didn't that guy seem kind of off to you? Like he really wasn't there or something." Needless to say, Jaune didn't quite understand his new, likely eccentric, headmaster.

Ruby, face blank, responded without any trace of emotion. "I don't know, but either way, I don't have a good feeling about him."

Jaune was taken back at her admission. "What, really? Aren't you the girl who tried to tell me ten minutes ago that people aren't always what they seem?"

"This is different," she said simply. That uneasy feeling seemed to leave when the headmaster left the stage, however, dragging her back into a nonexistent emotional state. She wrestled a smile back onto her face. "Anyway, what do you wanna do? We could explore the campus, or head straight to the ballroom, or maybe something else?"

"Hmm..." Jaune stroked his nonexistent beard. "Why don't we just walk around some more and explore the place? Maybe see if we can find any hidden rooms or something?" A childish smile sneaked its way onto his features. Ruby returned it with a fabricated one of her own.

"Sounds like a plan!"

* * *

"Not. One." Jaune sighed dramatically. "Why was there not even one hidden room? What kind of castle is this?"

"You know this is a school, not a castle, though that does sound cool, right Jaune?"

"I _knew_ that, but I didn't _feel_ that. Doesn't this seem like the kinda place that's hiding some big secret or something?"

"Um, I guess? I think the most secret things here are the recipes though. Lunch was too good to be true." Jaune agreed with that one hundred percent. Never before had he eaten such expensive steak.

"Well, at least I won't have to worry about having good food for these four years," he commented. He threw a look at the girl with two toned hair. "Wanna head to the ballroom and get ready to sleep? It's getting kinda late." To emphasize his point, he gestured outside the window, where the shattered moon hung high in the sky.

Ruby nodded her head in agreement. "Sure, let's head that way. Besides, we needed to be well-rested for initiation tomorrow," she noted. Jaune looked confused.

"Initiation? We have something like that?" He asked, getting a manufactured flabbergasted look from his small companion.

"Weren't you listening during the entrance ceremony speech?" Ruby inquired.

Jaune averted his gaze. "Uh, well, I was worried about how you were acting, so I wasn't really focusing on the stage," he admitted, just a little bit embarrassed. Ruby figure she should feel flattered.

"How sweet..." she commented. She still hadn't mastered the technique of faking a blush, but still tried to act flustered to show him she cared. Apparently it succeeded because the blond's cheeks grew a tint redder.

"Anyway, what's this initiation thing? Are we taking some kind of entrance exam or something?" Jaune changed the subject to distract him from his embarrassment.

"You really have no idea, do you?" Ruby deadpanned. How someone could be as ignorant as the blond in front of her, she had no idea.

"I-it's not my fault! I was just worried for my friend!" Jaune exclaimed in his defense. Seeing Ruby's smug expression, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Just tell me about it already..."

Ruby, having teased him enough, enjoyed the feeling of his resignation. "We're going to be sent into the Emerald forest to hunt Grimm. It's our first experience as Huntsmen!" Jaune, much more observant than he had been during the entrance ceremony, noticed the way her chilling crimson eyes seemed to soften and brighten as she spoke.

That didn't stop him from nearly having a heart attack, though. "W-what!? Combat already!? On the first day!?" he started to panic. He'd thought he would at least take a couple of classes in a controlled environment before going out to do any real fighting. He was counting on bettering himself before he could show his extreme lack of skill to his classmates.

If he went out into a Grimm-infested forest, he'd be eaten alive!

Ruby, noticing the immense fear radiating from the blond, plastered on a look of concern, and her brief feelings were smothered once again. "Jaune? What's wrong, why aren't you excited? Didn't you come here to learn how to kill Grimm? Doesn't that sound fun?"

 _'No,'_ Jaune objected internally, _'that sounds_ horrifying!' Sure, he'd come to Beacon to learn to be a Huntsman. Sure, he knew he would have to experience combat sometime. But, even if that was the case, shouldn't they actually _teach_ them something before sending the students to fight actual, live, breathing (Did they even breathe? He didn't know) Grimm.

Was this karma for the whole 'faking his transcripts' thing? Did they actually teach combat skills to children in the schools before Beacon? At the time, he believed that they wouldn't do something like that, but now? Now he wasn't so sure. What kind of educational institution trains kids to fight monsters?

Of course, his sisters had begun their training when they were young, but they didn't count. They were all monsters in their own right.

Why hadn't he been born with those genes?

"Um, Jaune?" A voice caused him to jerk his head downward, only to see his short companion. "You alright?"

"J-just fine!" he lied. Ruby, of course, didn't believe it for a minute. The amount of fear he was letting loose was enough for her to notice from miles away. For some reason, it only seemed to be growing denser.

"R-ruby? Why're you smiling like... _that_?" Noticing the crazed smile on the girl's lips, he suddenly felt an urge to run as far as possible.

Deciding that telling Jaune that she could literally smell his fear, and that it was exciting her _very much,_ wasn't the best idea, she told a lie.

"Ahaha. Just really excited to test my skills tomorrow!" she chirped.

Something, in that moment, had taken hold of Jaune. He could feel something deep inside him, clawing at his insides, begging to be let out.

Jaune Arc laughed. A lot.

"Hahahah!" It just wouldn't stop. Minutes passed and Jaune was convulsing on the ground, gasping for air. "Ruby!" he gasped out. "What was _that!?_ "

Ruby, who figured she should seem offended at his outburst of laughter, pouted down at him. "That, my friend, was a laugh. A relatively normal laugh that may need _some_ work." she stated defensively.

"Normal!? No amount of work could make _that_ sound normal!" He teased. It felt good to be on the other side of the teaser and the teased for once. Ruby shot him an irritated look. For once, he could tell she was faking it.

"Well," Ruby sighed tiredly, offering him a kind smile, "At least you seem to be doing better now." The Arc looked shocked at her words for a short time before returning the smile.

"Yeah, I guess I needed that. Thanks," Ruby rolled her eyes, showing that making him laugh was never her intention. Jaune's smile grew wider. "Besides, if I hide behind you and let you do all the work, I'll have nothing to worry about!"

Ruby stared him down. "Oooh? And what if I decide that I don't want to go through initiation with you?" she teased, causing the Arc's fear to return. "I'm kidding! Don't get so worked up, Hero. I'll let you hide behind me."

"Oh, don't sound so superior! I'll catch up to you in no time! It'll only be a couple months until you're the one hiding behind me!" he boasted.

"I'll be looking forward to that, Vomit Boy." Ruby was finding that she really liked this whole teasing thing. Jaune...wasn't.

"Haah...well, no point in worrying about the future now! I need my sleep for tomorrow." Jaune yawned.

"Why, so you can make sure you're able to run as fast as you can?"

"Hey, I'll have you know that a tactical retreat is a very viable strategy that requires a healthy, exemplary cardiovascular system. Not everyone can run away as well as I can!"

Ruby adorned a smirk. "Right, right. Let's get to bed, Hero."

The two walked together, down the empty hallways of Beacon Academy, with their thoughts harmonizing. Badly, that is.

 _'Tomorrow is going to be fun/terrifying!'_


	11. Chapter 11

Here's this thing. It's a Saturday, and I'm bored, so this was made. It's my longest chapter yet!

The boredom really shows, huh?

Anyway, that's enough rambling from me. Lemme answer some reviews.

FoxyFoxation: I can't really confirm nor deny that you will be crushed? Maybe it was split up? Maybe it can? Maybe sisterly love can power through everything? Maybe I'm glad you're looking forward to this chapter?

-mpw09?

Imagine Exorcist: Well, that'll be next chapter. Here's this thing, though.

FirstTimeStoryTeller: Indeed. It won't be in this chapter, though.

Bomberguy789: Who knows? Ruby was always socially awkward. Maybe Ruby just never wanted to be-

Thank you for your reviews!

Please enjoy this chapter.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.**

* * *

""Oh, not you again!"" Two aspiring Huntsmen yelled at each other. Neither one was particularly happy to see the other.

On Jaune's side, his dislike of the other prospective student came from the way she treated both he and his partner when they first encountered her. Her voice, through his perception, was shrill like a banshee's and as irritating as the sound of nails scraping across the blackboard. No matter what Ruby said, he couldn't bring himself to try to find even a single good trait in the girl.

On Weiss's side, she didn't really view Jaune as much more than an annoyance. In fact, she had forgotten he was even there when they first ran into each other. He seemed incompetent in her eyes, and definitely didn't warrant her attention, or even her ire.

No, the reason why Weiss was displeased to see Jaune was because of something else entirely. The dolt just so happened to be friends with something comparable to the most fearful of Grimm in the stories Winter used to read to her. Someone who was part of a group of people that one could equate to a natural disaster.

Yes, Jaune Arc had the support of a Branwen. Ruby Branwen-Rose, the childish, (supposedly, anyway. Weiss had an odd feeling about her which was separate from her Branwen-phobia) unassuming girl, had taken some sort of interest in the blond, though Weiss wasn't sure why.

Anyway, what all of that meant was...when Jaune Arc is around, the Branwen isn't far behind, and she had no desire to test a calamity more than once.

"Huh? Jaune- oh, it's Weiss Schnee, Heiress to the SDC, or Schnee Dust Company, the best Dust...err, what was it again?" Weiss cursed mentally. Of course, even at Beacon she wouldn't be able to catch a break. Maybe she should've just joined the military like her sister. At least there would be no Branwens there.

"Don't inflate her superego, Ruby." Jaune glared at Weiss, putting his hand out to the side, as if to protect the little monster from Weiss. Why. the Schnee had no idea, as the smaller girl was obviously much more skilled than the him.

"That's not what superego means, you dolt," Weiss fired back, returning his glare with an icy stare of her own. Jaune, being, well, Jaune, flinched.

"I-I knew that..." he stuttered out. He wasn't scared of the Heiress. Nope, not one bit.

"Come on, guys! Let's stop fighting; we're all aiming to become comrades in arms, right?" Ruby beamed a smile at the two of them. Weiss, taking a page out of Jaune's book, shivered slightly. Said blond smirked at her. One quick glare in his direction showed him his place, however.

"Um, are you all alright?" The group of three all turned to face the new speaker. The first thing Ruby noticed was her head of dark red hair, tied in a ponytail that fell to her waist. If she were capable, she was sure she would've felt a pang of jealously upon seeing how tall the girl stood, coming to about six feet. Concerned green eyes looked back at her from under a bronze circlet headpiece.

"Oh, Pyrrha!" Weiss quickly recomposed herself, smiling a sycophantic smile at the redhead. Jaune's eyes widened in shock. "We're all just fine, thank you," she assured. Pyrrha didn't look convinced.

"Are you sure? You two," she gestured to Jaune, who smiled at her, "were shaking quite a lot earlier." Though Pyrrha had the best intentions when asking about them, Weiss grew mortified.

"Y-you saw that?" she stuttered out. No no no, this couldn't be happening! She couldn't allow herself to appear weak in front of the strongest initiate in the school, who was also going to be her future partner!

"Yes, of course. I _was_ just speaking with you a minute ago, before these two appeared, remember?" Of course! She had forgotten about the Champion the moment the Branwen happened into her field of vision. Stupid, stupid Weiss!

"Hey, Weiss, who's your friend?" Ruby asked, causing Weiss to _not_ jump a bit in fright. Being around a Branwen wasn't good for her heart.

"My name is Pyrrha, Pyrrha Nikos. It's a pleasure to meet you." Pyrrha offered Ruby her hand.

"Nice to meet you! My name is Ruby Branwen-Rose!" Ruby forced an appearance of enthusiasm and shook her hand with both of hers. Pyrrha smiled warmly at her childishness.

Jaune turned his charm up to max and introduced himself, "Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue - ladies love it! I also happen to be amazingly single at the moment." Pyrrha, wondering just exactly how she should respond to that, settled on a indirect, polite rejection.

"I see. Hopefully you'll find someone soon!" Jaune, being his oblivious self, didn't notice the implication.

"I think I might've found someone already, but we can leave that for later. For now, how would you like a spot on Team Jaune? Personally, I'd say it's the winning team." Pyrrha sighed. Another person had come to seek her out for her talents and reputation. Was it too much to ask for someone to ignore those things?

Weiss, meanwhile, was growing irritated at the blond. She wasn't going to let him steal her future partner from right under her nose! "Hmph, do you even know who you're talking to?" Jaune looked at her in confusion. "That's Pyrrha Nikos, who graduated top of her class at Sanctum."

"Never heard of it."

Ruby put in her two cents as well "I think it's a combat school like Signal."

"Signal? What's that?"

"A combat school."

"So helpful, Ru-" Weiss cut him off. She couldn't believe the lack of knowledge the two were displaying.

"Seriously, neither of you know anything? She won the Mistral Regional Tournaments four years in a row, making a new record."

Jaune looked at Ruby.

Ruby looked at Jaune.

They shrugged in unison.

""Never heard of it.""

Weiss, at this point, was ready to blow her top, whether a Branwen was around or not. She flailed her arms wildly. "She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmellow Flakes box!"

Jaune gasped and pointed at Pyrrha. "That's you?! I thought they only do that for famous athletes and cartoon characters!"

Pyrrha smiled. Of all the things, she was recognized for being on the front of the box of a sugary cereal. "Yeah, it was pretty cool, though the cereal isn't very good for you."

Ruby still had no idea. "Um, I've never eaten those..." Jaune, hearing that unforgivable news, took on a serious visage.

"Ruby, forget the (admittedly delicous) cafeteria food. Tomorrow, I'm going to show you what a real breakfast is like."

"Uh, okay?"

"Anyway!" Weiss cut in. "So, do you still think you're in a position to ask Pyrrha to be on your team?" Weiss smirked. Jaune was obviously hurt by comparing himself to the Invincible Girl. His shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I guess not," he admitted. Pyrrha opened her mouth to encourage Jaune, but Ruby surprisingly beat her to the punch.

"I don't think that's true," she objected. Weiss, despite her Branwen-phobia, narrowed her eyes at Ruby. Not a very intimidating glare when she had sweat on her forehead. "You haven't even seen Jaune in combat yet, so I don't think you have the right to judge him just yet."

"Ruby..." Said blond was surprised. She was standing up for him, even though they had met only the night before? ' _Maybe,'_ he thought, _'this is what a good friend is like?'_ Jaune had some friends before, but he doubted they would've defended him. They would've laughed right along with the Ice Queen.

"Besides, even if he isn't good right now, he has the potential to get better. That's why you came to Beacon, right, Jaune?" Ruby forced on a smile. Pyrrha sent Ruby an appraising look. She hadn't expected words like those from someone with such a childish demeanor.

Jaune's face hardened to show his resolution. "Right. Even if I don't have the skill now, I'll earn it with my own hard work. I mean, this is a training academy for a reason."

Weiss would never admit it out loud, but she could empathize with him. Her fingers idly traced over the crooked scar that marred her left eye. She thought back to all of those nights spent alone in an empty room, going through forms. She thought back to the various fencing instructors who taught her how to properly wield her rapier. She sighed.

"Whatever. We don't even know what team assignments are going to be like yet, so doing a recruitment pitch is pointless at the moment."

Ruby, feeling that Weiss was free from the influence of her darker emotions, spoke up. "See, Jaune? I knew Weiss was a good person under that icy cold shell!"

"W-what?" Weiss sputtered. Pyrrha nodded in agreement.

"Yes, beneath her sycophantic smile lies a kind heart," she smiled. "I would be honored to have either of you on my team." Pyrrha acknowledged the girl cloaked in red. "Of course, it would also be a pleasure to have you on my team as well, Ruby."

"Eh, I still don't see it," Jaune countered.

"Ugh, you guys are insufferable. In any case, we should all be leaving soon." Weiss pointed at the analogue clock on the wall. "Initiation begins soo-"

"Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

"Annnd that's our cue! Come on guys, let's get our gear out of our lockers and get going!" Ruby, for once, didn't have to forcefully add emotion into her voice. Coming up was the moment that decided her career as a Huntress.

"Am I grouped in with the rest of you?" Weiss wondered aloud.

"Of course! The four of us are going to be on Team Jaune, right?"

Weiss was _horrified_ at that notion. There was, pardon her language, no bloody way in Remnantshe'd be on 'Team Jaune.' Sure, being on a team with the Mistral Champion was a goal she had since she'd decided to come to Beacon, but it came with too many conditions. Being on a team in which her leader was a bumbling oaf with, seemingly, no combat experience was bad enough. Being on a team with a _Branwen_ was absolutely impossible.

Most importantly, even if she was stuck with the two of them, it wouldn't be on 'Team Jaune.' They would be 'Team Weiss.' The name was important.

* * *

"For years, you have trained to become warriors. And today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

 _'You can bear it, Ruby. You can do this,'_ she chanted to herself. She tried to distract her mind by thinking about killing the Grimm down below, but it didn't seem to be working. Every word from the ashen-haired man reminded her of how close she was to him. Of how easy it would be to reach out and use her claws to-

Wait, what? Claws? She didn't have any of those. That was...disturbing.

Ever since the night she had that dream, she knew she'd been acting weird. Whenever she saw Ozpin, she instinctively reached for her weapon in preparation to reap his soul. Not only that, although she didn't mention anything to Jaune, but when she woke up after the entrance ceremony, she had a pair of ears. An _extra_ pair of ears. Now, Ruby couldn't remember much from when she was born, but she was pretty sure that she had been born without a pair of fuzzy red-tipped black ears on her head.

Anyway, Ruby didn't know if humans suddenly becoming Faunus was a common thing or not, but she wasn't one to test the waters. So, that morning, Ruby went inside the ladies' room and did the logical thing to do in that situation.

Ruby unfolded her blade and cut her extra ears right off. It hurt, it hurt a _lot,_ but strangely there was no blood. There was no evidence left behind, either, because the ears decided to _disintegrate_. Yeah.

That brought to mind a question that Ruby still didn't really want to think about. What disintegrates when cut?

Again, she didn't really want to come to that conclusion.

Professor Spank took over, something she was glad for. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams."

"Have you heard anything, Ruby?" Jaune whispered to her.

"I don't know much besides the fact that they assign students to teams of four," Ruby admitted. Jaune was about to speak again, but the Professor stared straight at him, discouraging him from asking.

"Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion," she continued after she was confident the blond wouldn't speak again. "Each of you will be given teammates...Today." Some cries of surprise could be heard, most likely from the few loners who knew nothing about team assignments.

To her distress, the Headmaster spoke up again. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ruby smiled at Jaune, Weiss, and Pyrrah, who were standing beside her. Pyrrah smiled back confidently, Jaune, nervously, and Weiss just ignored her.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years," he finished.

 _'There is no logic in this whatsoever. Typical of him.'_ Well, Ruby agreed with the first part of her thoughts, anyway.

"Seriously!? I did all that networking for Team Jaune, and it was all for nothing!?" her blond friend cried out.

"Sorry, Jaune, but it seems the contents of your team will be left up to fate." Pyrrah said, though she didn't mean a lick of what she said. She had ways, many of them.

Weiss, on the other hand, smiled. Anything to get away from those two.

"After you've partnered up," he continued, "make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you _will_ die."

 _'Everything? Does that include you, too?'_ she wondered. Somewhere in the back of her head, she knew that it was odd to be displaying hostility, since it was one of the myriad of emotions she couldn't feel, but she ignored that thought.

Jaune gulped upon hearing the word 'die.' He really was in over his head, wasn't he? "S-say, Ruby, you'll be there with me, r-right?" Ruby was too busy staring at Ozpin to notice. "Uh, R-ruby?

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene." Jaune's Pumpkin Pete hoodie was soaked with cold sweat under his breastplate. "You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics," he explained slowly and clearly. "Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff."

"We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Questions?"

Jaune timidly raised his hand. "About that whole die thing..."

"Good!" he interrupted, causing Ruby's chest to heat up. "Now, take your positions." Every initiate dropped into some sort of stance except for Jaune, because he still had his hand raised, and Ruby, who didn't see the point. Who actually had knowledge of what a useful stance for getting launched off of a cliff would be?

"Uh, sir? I've got a question..." Jaune tried again. The first student, a man with a shaven head and a golden Mohawk, was launched. Ruby pointed it out to Jaune, and his hand slowly lowered.

"Yes, what is it?" Ozpin questioned.

"Uh, never mind. Do we uh, like, get a parachute or something? That guy didn't seem to have anything attached..."

"No, you will be using your own landing strategy." Weiss and Pyrrha were already well into the air. Ruby smiled reassuringly at Jaune and gave him a thumbs up before she was launched as well.

"So, um, what exactly is this landing strat-" He couldn't get any more out before he was launched as well.

Ozpin sipped his coffee as he watched them all go.

"Did you notice? Ruby Rose's eyes seemed to light up. Do you know anything about that, Ozpin?" He shook his head.

"I haven't the slightest idea," he lied.

Ozpin was more worried about _why_ her crimson eyes were set ablaze. Could she have learned something? He had noticed that same gaze back in the entrance hall, though her eyes weren't as intense then as they were just a minute ago.

Maybe Qrow told her? No, that was too unlikely. To the best of his knowledge, which he had in spades, Qrow had no idea of what he had done to his adoptive daughter. The man was an effective spy, no doubt there, but Ozpin doubted Qrow would be able to monitor him without being noticed.

Who else was there? Ruby Rose didn't come into contact with many people, so the list was narrow. Perhaps it could have been James? Could he have linked Ozpin to the system malfunction? Maybe, after he linked the two together, he revealed his findings to Qrow.

Ozpin could feel a headache starting to form. After he began the tighter surveillance of James and Qrow, he would need a nap. Looking at the cup in his hand, however, he sighed.

Why did he have to have a caffeine addiction?


	12. Chapter 12

Okay, I know that this chapter doesn't cover much, but I needed to get something out. This thing just did not want to be written, so I had to piece it together by writing five hundred words per day.

So, when chapters become as hard to write as this one was, may writing speed may slow down significantly.

Anyway, onto some reviews:

FirstTimeStoryTeller: The only thing I can tell you is this: Ruby won't be losing her mind, becoming something that only moves when it's attracted to negative emotions. Hopefully that answers your question. As to her form, however, I won't say.

Guest: You have some really good points. I suppose Huntsmen are like mercenaries in a sense. I've been looking at them more like children, as they are portrayed in the show, so I seem to have taken their naivete too far. It makes it a bit hard to focus on their lives after graduating when team dynamics seems to be a core theme of RWBY. I really didn't know much about controlled falling, though.

Bomberguy789: Ozpin without his coffee is not Ozpin at all. But, who knows? Maybe Ruby could get Ozpin to give up coffee by-

I'm not too happy with this chapter, but I hope you all like it nonetheless.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY**

* * *

 _'Now,'_ Ruby, from her vantage point high in a tree, scoped out the surrounding area. _'where's Jaune?'_ she wondered.

In the distance, she noticed a speck of blond. Zeroing in led to the discovery of the one she was looking for. However, by the large red javelin affixing him to the trunk of a tree, it would seem Pyrrha had gotten to the boy first.

Now, she could go over there and make contact with Jaune before the redhead could reach him, but she decided to abstain. Pyrrha had obviously already staked her claim, and Ruby knew that making enemies on the first day was not a smart move in the long run. Taking that into consideration, she decided to give up on her plan of partnering with Jaune. There was still a chance they'd be on the same team regardless, considering that teams were comprised of four students, not just two.

Ruby amended her priority list. Removing her eyes from the blond, she scanned for some sort of clearing. Right now, she needed to focus on finding the temple that housed the relics they were supposed to retrieve and protect. However, even from her current position, she couldn't see anything like that.

She sighed, though she knew it was a pointless gesture when no one was around to see it, and flung herself down from her branch, bending her knees as she fell to the ground.

For now, she needed to explore a wider area.

* * *

"Well, I'm really happy to be partners with you and everything, and I'm really thankful for the help with my landing strategy, but do you think you could get me down from here now?"

At her new partner's words, Pyrrha had the decency to blush. A quick activation of her Semblance saw her weapon safely back into her hand, leaving the blond to groan as he fell a good five feet onto his bottom.

"Thanks for the warning," he deadpanned. He stood up and brushed the dirt off of his jeans. "Anyway, it really is cool that we're on the same team," he gave a smile, which Pyrrha returned with one of her own.

"Well, I certainly wasn't going to let you fall to your death on the first day," Pyrrha said.

"Hey, I had a plan!" she gave him a disbelieving look. "I just...hadn't figured out what it was yet." Pyrrha chuckled.

"I'm sure you did, Jaune. Now, what is our next step? Are we going to seek out Ruby and Weiss?"

"Let's go find Ruby. And, after we find her, _if_ we still have a spot open on Team Jaune, then I guess I could allow the Ice Queen to come with us," Jaune suggested.

Pyrrha smiled with mirth. "I believe It would be faster to admit that you'd enjoy it if all of us end up on the same team," she teased, causing Jaune to glower.

"As if. It'll just save me the time of having to get to know someone else," he defended weakly.

The redhead, deciding she'd teased the boy enough, diverted the course of the conversation. "Regardless, I believe the quickest way to find them both is to head to the temple."

"Right," Jaune nodded in agreement. "Let's do that then. We'll hit two birds with one stone."

A silence fell between the two.

"Um, so, which way _is_ the temple, anyway?" he questioned.

"If we knew that, Initiation wouldn't be so difficult. I'm sure the headmaster intends for us to simply look around, dispatching any Grimm we encounter on our way."

Jaune groaned. What was with this difficulty spike? It seemed like everything was 'kill this,' and 'survive this.' Where was the 'here's how you do this?'

"Haaa... well, if it comes down to it, I guess I'm going to have to count on you, since Ruby isn't here. I don't want to go down before even entering Beacon officially because of a stray Beowolf claw.

Pyrrha's eyebrows raised in shock. "Wouldn't your Aura be able to handle at least that much? Or, perhaps, is the quantity so insignificant?" she inquired.

"Um, what?"

"Your Aura. Can it not withstand a single strike?"

"In case you haven't noticed, my armor doesn't cover my full body." Jaune told Pyrrha, slowly and carefully, as if speaking to a child.

Pyrrha was quickly becoming exasperated. "No, not your armor. I'm talking about your Aura, Jaune. The manifestation of your soul."

"The what?" he asked dumbly.

Pyrrha couldn't keep it up anymore. Why was Jaune not understanding her? She was sure she was being fairly clear with him, so why...oh. Oh no.

"Jaune...do you not know what Aura is?" Pyrrha asked tentatively.

Jaune knew he was missing something here. What the hell was this Aura thing, anyway? Of course, with the way Pyrrha was looking at him right now, he couldn't admit it. If Aura was a subject that every combat school taught, then the she'd become suspicious. He couldn't allow that. He _needed_ to get into Beacon.

"O-of course I do!" he defended himself. "What about you? Do _you_ know what it is?"

Obviously, his attempt at redirecting the question didn't work. Pyrrha was not amused.

"Jaune..." She started.

Jaune sighed. "Alright, you're right. I don't really know what this Aura thing is," he admitted begrudgingly. "Can you tell me? Please?"

"I can't believe you went through four years of training and yet you have no idea how to properly protect yourself." Pyrrha shook her head in exasperation while Jaune's neck started to produce beads of sweat. "What were your teachers thinking?" she wondered.

"I-I was out sick for a long time," he tried, stuttering a little at the horrible lie.

"And yet no one thought to activate your Aura upon your return to school?"

"Um, yeah, about that...I...um..." Jaune fumbled around for another excuse, but he was coming up short.

Pyrrha held up a hand to stop him. "It's alright," she began, "If you have some reason keeping you from telling me the truth, I will accept that," she reassured. "However, I would like it if you could work up the courage and trust me enough to tell me someday. We are partners, after all," Pyrrha smiled, causing Jaune's heart to warm up slightly. He was glad that his partner was someone who wouldn't pry too deep.

"Thanks," he said. He genuinely meant it. The two exchanged smiles as Jaune began to calm down. _'Maybe,'_ he thought, _'I can tell her the truth someday.'_

"Alright, Jaune. I've told you I won't ask about it, but you still really need your Aura if you truly want to be an effective Huntsman," Pyrrha lectured. She took the blond's silence as a gesture for her to continue. "Aura, as I mentioned earlier, is the manifestation of one's soul." Jaune swore he could see a pair of glasses resting on her nose.

"It has a great many uses; Aura can be used offensively, by adding strength and precision to your strikes. It can be used defensively, its most common use, as a shield to block attacks. Be careful; although you may be able to block blows, sensations such as pain and heat can traverse an Aura shield."

Pyrrha looked sternly at Jaune, who seemed like he was halfway to dream land already. "Jaune, this is important. It's no time for sleeping!"

He waved his hands innocently. "I'm sorry. I just didn't expect a lecture in a forest full of Grimm."

"And I didn't expect to give one, but we need to fix your defenseless situation," she reminded him.

"Alright, I'll try my best to listen. Slap me or something if I start to nod off." He knew he'd said something wrong when he saw that teasing smile on the redhead's lips.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Huh? Of course, why?" he asked in confusion.

Pyrrha's smile grew bigger. There was always one way to ensure that the blond would listen. "Oh, it's nothing. It's just that, were I to slap you as you are now, without the protection of Aura, I'd probably snap your neck."

Jaune scoffed. Snap his neck? With those thin arms? "I doubt you have the strength to do that, Pyrrha."

"You do realize that I threw my javelin, from a fair distance away, and managed to impale halfway through the bark of this thick tree, right?" she reminded him, causing Jaune to pale significantly.

He stood stiff. "Y-you know, s-suddenly I feel full of energy! Let's learn about Ora!"

"Aura, Jaune," she corrected.

"That too."

Pyrrha sighed. "Let me continue." Jaune nodded. "As for the other two application...well, one is rather situational in its use, so I'll leave that one for last."

"Aura, aside from its offensive and defensive capabilities, also acts as a way to heal wounds, so that a Huntsman may continue fighting without issue."

Jaune, believe it or not, was starting to become enraptured. Aura could heal his wounds? Maybe he wouldn't have to spend so much time cowering behind his shield if that were the case. Think of all the damage he could deal if he didn't have to worry about injuries!

"Jaune," he heard Pyrrha's voice become stern, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I don't like that foolhardy look in your eye. Aura can only heal _minor_ wounds, so you will absolutely die if you charge Grimm with reckless abandon." The blond visibly deflated at the news.

"Oh, well that kinda sucks. What's the point of healing a bunch of small wounds?"

"They sap your energy, ciphering your strength. If you accumulate enough of them, even the smallest wounds could lead to your defeat."

Jaune scratched his head. "Right, I guess that makes sense. What's the fourth way to use it?"

Pyrrha told him to stand in front of her. He was confused, but still complied. He also felt his heart beat faster when she put a hand to his cheek.

It was to Jaune's surprise when the redhead closed her eyes and stood stock still:

 _For it is in passing_ _that we achieve immortality_

 _Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all_

 _Infinite in existence and unbound by death_

 _I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee_

"And this," she gestured to Jaune's body. He looked down to discover a thick, wispy white glow surrounding his entire person. "Is the fourth use of Aura. Through invading another's body with our own Aura, we can awaken theirs."

"Woah," Jaune marveled at the feeling enveloping him. It was soft, almost nonexistent, yet still somehow felt firm and protective.

After a moment, the glow disappeared and Jaune panicked. "H-huh? What happened? Did something go wrong?"

She shook her head in amusement. "That's normal. You only project your Aura when you need it. At all other times, it simply rests within your body."

"Huh, that's pretty cool!"

Pyrrha chuckled at his enthusiasm. It was interesting to see how something so mundane in her eyes could be so interesting for the blond.

"So, does everyone have this stuff then?" he inquired. _'Am I really that far out of the loop?'_

"Everyone here at Beacon, at least," she responded, confirming his fears.

"I'm that far behind, huh?" he slumped his shoulders.

"Don't worry, Jaune. As your partner, it's my duty to bring you up to par," the redhead reassured him. He wasn't sure how to feel about that, but thanked her anyway. A few seconds later brought another question into his thoughts.

"Say, do things like animals and monsters have this Aura thing too?" he inquired, leading Pyrrha's eyes to narrow.

"Animals, yes. Every living thing has its own Aura, though many go a lifetime without even manifesting it," she paused. "But the Grimm do not. Those with souls embody the light, while the creatures that lack them are the darkness."

"Anything lacking a soul isn't just inhuman, it's not natural. Creatures like that bring only harm to the world. It will be our job as Huntsmen to kill them."


End file.
